If the Sbarro Pizzeria terrorist is not relocated, there are reports that Jordan will extradite her to the United States, where she will finally face justice.
By Rachel Avraham
Israel Hayom recently reported that Jordanian authorities have issued an ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the immediate relocation of Ahlam al-Tamimi, a convicted terrorist who partook in the Sbarro Pizzeria Suicide bombing that killed 16 and injured over 130 but was nevertheless released in the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s prisoner exchange in 2011, which led to her living in Jordan. However, now allegedly the Jordanians feel that the Hamas terrorist has worn out her welcome.
If she is not relocated by Hamas from Jordan, according to the report, she will face extradition to the United States, as the Hashemite Kingdom has an extradition treaty with the United States and now is keen to implement it if she is not removed from the country. According to the report, local sources revealed that Jordan has also taken a firm stance against accepting any terrorists deported under the current hostage deal, likely due to their negative experience in hosting al Tamimi.
Initially sentenced to 16 life sentences in Israel, Tamimi was released after only 12 years imprisonment, I24 News reported. Tamimi, a Palestinian-Jordanian, is the first woman to have joined the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. According to the report, her role in the attack was crucial, surveying the site and leading the terrorist carrying an explosive belt to the restaurant. JNS reported that the killer entered the pizzeria carrying about 10 to 20 pounds of explosives hidden in a guitar case slung over his shoulder. According to the report, the resulting blast gutted the restaurant at the height of the lunch hour on a Friday, when many are out before the start of the Sabbath.
According to JNS, two U.S. citizens were murdered that day: Malka Chana Roth, 15; and Judith Shoshana Greenbaum, a pregnant 31-year-old teacher. A third American native, Chana Tova Chaya Nachenberg, passed away in May 2023 after spending 22 years in a coma. Eight children were also massacred in the terror attack.
A particularly shocking video of her incarceration shows her smiling at the announcement of the high number of children slaughtered in the terror attack, I24 News noted. In a subsequent interview given to Hamas television, she maintained a remorseless stance: “It was a calculated act, done in faith in Allah. I managed to overcome the hurdle of imprisonment and I was released. Why should I regret it?”
According to the Media Line, since the Galid Shalit deal, Tamimi has been freely living in Jordan, where she holds citizenship and is hosting television programs, giving lectures, and making public appearances in which she has praised the bombing. The United States had charged her in 2013 with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against American nationals.
In 2017, the US Justice Department announced it was seeking her extradition, a step that had been urged by the family of Israeli-American victim Malki Roth but which was rebuffed by Amman, the Times of Israel reported, until now. With Trump entering the White House, it appears that the Hashemites have had a change of heart, ahead of Jordan’s king visiting the US President.
In an interview with JNS, Arnold Roth, whose teenage daughter, Malka, was killed in the attack, and who has waged a years-long campaign with his wife, Frimet Roth, to see Tamimi brought to justice, related: “The Jordanian government wants to see her someplace where there’s no more criticism of Jordan—to skip the part about how they have been breaching their treaty with their most important ally for 13 years.” Aside from that, he noted that the Hashemites do not like the fact that she has criticized the King and Hashemite rule in Jordan on her Hamas friendly TV show.
So far, the Jordanians have denied these reports. According to The New Arab, Jordan’s parliament speaker Ahmed al-Safadi claimed the reports that Amman had ordered the immediate deportation of Tamimi were “not accurate” and promised to follow up on the matter, urging MPs to be patient. Responding to a question from MP Ahmad al-Raqab in a session on Monday, Al-Safadi said: “We have followed up on this matter, and it turns out that these reports are not accurate. We will keep you informed as updates come in. It’s better not to open this topic further.”
