The administrative detention threatening Israel-Jordan ties
As Israel and Jordan mark the 25th anniversary of their peace treaty, the highly complex and sensitive relationship is being strained further by the ongoing administrative detention of Heba al-Labadi.
The last thing Israel’s Foreign Ministry needs on the 25th anniversary of the peace treaty with Jordan, signed Oct. 26, 1994, is yet another crisis in the highly charged, complex relationship with the Hashemite Kingdom. However, that is precisely what will happen unless Israel speedily resolves the affair of a Jordanian national, Heba al-Labadi, held in detention since August, who has been on a hunger strike for over a month.
On Oct. 28, 36 days after her hunger strike began, Labadi’s condition deteriorated and she was hospitalized at the Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa. She insists she will not eat until she is freed, even if it means dying in an Israeli jail. Jordanian media are following the affair play by play, much to Israel’s discomfort.
