Jordan MP arrested for suspected gun smuggling into West Bank

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Monday that a Jordanian MP who allegedly tried to smuggle weapons into the West Bank must face the full force of the Israeli legal system.

Imad al-Adwan, one of Jordan’s youngest MPs and a vocal supporter of Palestinian militant groups including Hamas, was arrested on suspicion of trying to cross into the West Bank with bags of weapons and gold in tow. Jordan’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said that it’s “working on finding out what happened.”

There are two things to watch in the weeks ahead. First, what will this mean for relations between Israel and Jordan? The two have enjoyed a cold peace since 1994, but the Hashemite Kingdom has been reluctant to normalize ties. Recently, things have been getting increasingly tense: As the custodian of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which Jews call the Temple Mount, Amman recently warned of “catastrophic consequences” after Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian worshippers at the flashpoint site.

Second, how will Israel’s security apparatus respond? The smuggling of weapons into the West Bank – which has led to a rise in attacks – is a major security challenge for Israel. Is another West Bank raid by the Israeli army in the cards?