09 November 1999

Press Release  

The Arrest of Ezzat Rasheq

Commenting on the arrest of Brother Ezzat Al-Rasheq by the Jordanian authorities, a responsible source from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has stated the following:

In another escalation step, the Jordanian security authorities arrested on Monday night, 8 November 1999, Brother Ezzat Al-Rasheq (known as Abdel Aziz Omari), member of the Hamas Political Bureau.

While we in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemn and denounce this arbitrary and unjustified measure, we see it as contradictory to statements made by His Majesty King Abdullah II in which he hoped this crisis would be resolved very soon.

This sudden escalation of the crisis with the arrest of Brother Al-Rasheq threatens the current good offices that seek to find a political solution to the crisis. It also puts an end to hopes created by these good offices.

While we call upon the Jordanian government to promptly release Brother Al-Rasheq and the other brothers detained in the Jordanian jails, in particular Khalid Misha’al, head of the Hamas political bureau, and Ibrahim Ghousheh, the spokesman of Hamas, we call on the Jordanian government to listen to the voice of sense and logic and not to respond to calls of incitement that are hostile to our nation and that drive the Jordanian government to be involved in disputes that waste the nation’s efforts and power. This does not serve anyone but the Zionist Entity.

We also call upon the Jordanian government to respond to the efforts that have been made to solve this crisis, and not to spoil the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity that dominate the relation between the Jordanians and the Palestinians in order to preserve the nation’s efforts and to serve the causes of our people and nation.

Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas - Palestine