The State Department, Ahlam Al-Tamimi, and Donald Trump

The State Department spokesman Matthew Miller recently declared that the United States did not want the leaders of terrorist groups — he was speaking mainly of Hamas — to be given sanctuary anywhere, and those responsible for the deaths of American citizens should be extradited to the United States. But one Hamas terrorist, and the country where she has found refuge, were not mentioned by Mr. Miller. More on the silence about this terrorist, Ahlam Al-Tamimi, living the life of Riley in Jordan, can be found here: “The State Department says it wants Hamas terrorists who attacked Americans extradited to the US. Except for Ahlam Tamimi, Sbarro massacre murderer.” Elder of Ziyon, December 3, 2024:

On November 18, at the daily State Department briefing,  spokesperson Matthew Miller said:

What I would say on behalf of the United States is that we don’t believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes in a major city of one of our key allies and partners.  Remember that Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has murdered a number of Americans, continues to hold to this day seven American citizens hostage, and of course that’s not even to speak of the citizens of other countries that it has murdered and that it has held hostage.

So to the extent that members of Hamas are in Türkiye or in any country, look, a number of these individuals are under U.S. indictment, have been under U.S. indictment for some time, and we believe that they should be turned over to the United States.

What Miller was referring to were the leaders of Hamas who had just moved to Istanbul, at the invitation of President Erdogan, when the government of Qatar, where they had been living, instructed them to leave.

I’m not sure that Miller should have described Turkey as “one of our key allies.” Under Erdogan, Turkey has become much less of an ally, for it has aligned itself with Islamic jihad groups, such as the very one — Hamas — whose leaders now are in Istanbul. Erdogan has also said that he foresees a possible war between “the Crescent and the Cross,” and left no doubt which side he would be on; indeed, he gave every sign that Turkey should be the one to lead the forces of “the Crescent.” Right now, Turkey is supporting the Islamic jihad group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, despite its jihad ideology, in its attempt to topple President Assad of Syria.

As soon as I read that, I tweeted:

 Has the @StateDept told this to Jordan regarding Ahlam Tamimi?

After all, it is the exact same situation. A Hamas terrorist, who is under US indictment, is living comfortably under a US ally, Jordan, which is actively protecting her.

Not only is Al-Tamimi living in Jordan, but she has been lionized for her terrorist past. She has hosted a series of television shows, and the one she now hosts is a Jordanian talk show, Nasim Al-Ahrar (Breeze of the Free), on the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV, which discusses the life of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Ahlam Al-Tamimi was the mastermind of the suicide bombing of the Sbarro Pizzeria in Jerusalem in 2001, in which 16 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed, and 130 others were wounded. She selected both the site, and the time of bombing — the lunch hour — in order to maximize casualties. In fact, she later described her “disappointment” when the first figures on casualties were announced; she had hoped there would be more dead and wounded, but when the final reckoning was done, the numbers were higher, and she expressed her pleasure at the news. Al-Tamimi not only chose the target, but engaged the services of a willing suicide bomber, and drove him to the site.

If Amman refuses to turn over Ahlam Al-Tamimi, who was the mastermind of the suicide bombing at the Sbarro Pizzeria, to the United States, then the considerable aid Jordan receives every year from the United States should be simply cut off. It’s time to force Jordan to stop sheltering a terrorist responsible for killing Americans (and others). Is Al-Tamimi really worth more than one billion dollars a year to Amman?