Israel detains Jordanian engineer on way to visit relatives

AMMAN — Israeli authorities on Thursday detained Jordanian engineer Thaer Hwaiti while on his way to visit relatives, according to the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA). “Israeli forces arrested the 24-year-old at the King Hussein Bridge and took him to a detention centre,” Anas Abu Khdeir, JEA media coordinator, told The Jordan Times Saturday.

No further information on Hwaiti’s condition was available, Abu Khdeir added. He noted that Hwaiti is an electrical engineer who has been working at an engineering firm since he graduated from Balqa Applied University’s Polytechnic Engineering College earlier this year.

The detainee holds a Jordanian identification number and is one of 25 Jordanians detained in Israel, including three other engineers: Abdullah Barghouthi, Abdullah Zeitawi and Manaf Jbara, said Abu Khadeir.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the JEA denounced Hwaiti’s detention and held Israeli authorities responsible for the engineer’s safety, urging the Foreign Ministry to act “quickly” and arrange for freeing the engineer. “We are in touch with Hawiti’s father, but he does not know anything about him,” said Abu Khdeir, adding that the International Commit-tee of the Red Cross does not have any information either.

The Foreign Ministry is in the process of obtaining information on Hwaiti’s case, according to its spokesperson, Sabah Rafie, who said she would get back to The Jordan Times once more information is available.