Israel pledges to hand over Labadi, Meri before end of week — FM

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday said that Jordanian detainees in Israel Hiba Labadi and Abdulrahman Meri will return home before the weekend.

In a tweet on Monday, the prime minister said that relentless efforts by His Majesty King Abdullah and the government were behind the return of Labadi and Meri home.

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Israel had pledged to hand over the two detainees to the Kingdom before the end of the week. 

The agreement was the result of intensified discussions and procedures the ministry had embarked on in coordination with all stakeholders since the detention of Labadi and Meri, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

Safadi added that the government has been following up on the case since the beginning, following His Majesty’s directives to take all necessary measures to release the two detainees. 

The minister noted that procedures have already started to receive Labadi and Meri.

Labadi has been on a hunger strike for a month and her health has suffered as a result. Meri suffers from cancer.

Labadi, who has been in illegal detention in Israel under inhumane conditions, was transferred on Friday to a health centre under prison administration for treatment, in response to the ministry’s demands.

The ministry has made continual efforts and intensive calls via diplomatic and political channels to urge Israel to release the detained Jordanians, whose health conditions have deteriorated since the beginning of their administrative detention.

In October, the ministry summoned the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires in the Kingdom to protest against the continued detention of Labadi and Meri, and handed him a letter demanding their immediate release.