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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Comment Focus Special Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Targeting Hamas
By Lola KeilaniIn a closed meeting between Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul-Raouf Rawabdeh and Jordanian MPs, Rawabdeh accused Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) of hoarding weapons and holding military training exercises on Jordanian territory.
Rawabdeh also accused Khaled Misha'al, Hamas Politburo chairman, of coordinating with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement in the kingdom and strong supporters of Hamas, and of carrying messages to Hamas members in the West Bank.
During the meeting, according to an MP who asked not to be identified, Rawabdeh harshly criticised the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and accused some of them "of participating in Hamas activities such as training their supporters".
The meeting came in response to statements issued by leaders of opposition parties, professional unions and independent political activists denouncing the timing and raison d'être of the government crackdown.
The Jordanian authorities closed down Hamas' offices last month, rounded up 12 members and issued arrest warrants against three of its top leaders who are currently in Iran.
Political observers stress that the crackdown came amid close security cooperation between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) prior to the visit of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the region for talks aimed at reinvigorating the peace process.
Following a lengthy meeting with Rawabdeh, Abdul-Hadi Majali, speaker of the upper house of parliament, explained that the new stance against Hamas was due to the movement's furtive attempt to establish a clandestine intelligence apparatus inside Jordan.
"The intelligence apparatus is of their own making, without the knowledge of the Muslim Brotherhood. Even worse, they infiltrated the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood and recruited some of its members to courier money and orders to the suicide squads of Izzidin Al-Qassam inside Palestine."
Majali asserted that the new underground apparatus was keeping prominent Jordanians under surveillance, timing their movements and observing where their children go to school. He deemed this the nucleus of a state within a state.
Jordanian MP Mahmoud Kharawsheh said, "It was apparent from the briefing of the prime minister that the movement transgressed and exceeded the limits on its political and media activities on Jordanian territory and committed repeated violations in its operations -- operations which are no longer needed in the kingdom."
According to a senior Jordanian official, investigations revealed that the movement was creating paramilitary groups and supervising their training inside and outside the capital.
The official who asked not to be identified explained that "security authorities discovered caches of explosives and stores where Hamas has hidden weapons over the past few years. A weapons cache was discovered two years ago, and they promised then not to repeat this behaviour in the future."
Parliament endorsed the government's move and urged it to employ all legal measures to guarantee the sovereignty and security of the country. "We reject any encroachment on the sovereignty of the country or any abuse of public order," read a parliamentary statement.
President of the Jordanian Bar Association Sale Agouti said, "The government did not confiscate any weapons. The only weapons found were three pistols one of which was licensed and the other two had also been licensed originally, but a renewal was denied one year later. These pistols were kept to defend Misha'al, who had earlier survived a botched assassination attempt."
In an interview with the Jordan Times, Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ghassan Hamdan, dismissed the government's accusations. "The lower house issued statements without hearing Hamas' defence," he said.
He denied that Hamas held any military exercises in the kingdom. "Nobody can hold such activities on Jordanian territory. Even a boy scout troop cannot hold a camp without the permission of the concerned authorities."
Hamdan indicated that the "arsenal" the prime minister referred to in his meeting with the MPs was discovered in 1991 during the US military campaign against Iraq, following its invasion of Kuwait.
"At the time we were afraid of possible Israeli invasion of Jordanian territory because of the kingdom's support for Iraq. Therefore we stored some weapons for this purpose. Following this incident we pledged to the government that we would not do such a thing again, and until now we are committed to this pledge."
Hamdan added, "Our presence in Jordan is purely for information and media purposes and we have not violated our gentleman's agreement with the Jordanian authorities."
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Hamas' major ally, reacted strongly to the move. Brotherhood leader Abdul-Meguid Thneibat denounced the move and demanded clarification from the government and requested an audience with King Abdullah.
Hamas supporters took part last Friday in special prayers at the Professional Unions Association to protest the government crackdown. The protest was headed by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Political observers stress that both the government and the Muslim Brotherhood will not aim to escalate tensions. However, recent events will result in a souring of relationships between the movement and the new king.
"The fact that the top leaders were abroad at the time arrest warrants were issued was meant to minimise repercussions. If the leaders of Hamas were to be arrested then a confrontation was bound to take place," said an observer.
The three prominent Hamas figures currently in Iran -- Politburo chief Khaled Misha'al, Musa Abu Marzouk and spokesman Ibrahim Ghousheh -- declared that they will be coming back to Jordan. Hamas representative in Jordan Mohamed Nazzal and Politburo member Izzat Al-Rishiq remain in hiding.
