Jordanian prisoner Abu Zahrah released by Israel, reunited with family

AMMAN — Akram Abu Zahrah, a Jordanian who recently finished a 14-year prison sentence in Israel, arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday morning after Israeli authorities had released him earlier in the day, according to a family member.

Abu Zahrah followed his pledge not to break a hunger strike that had lasted since January 23 until he reached his mother’s house in Zarqa, some 22km east of Amman, his eldest sister Mukarram said.

“We arrived home at around 3pm and he broke the strike with some soup and water,” the sister told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Akram began his hunger strike on January 23 and started refusing water on Saturday, protesting his continued detention after the end of his prison term.

The father of two finished his sentence on January 14 after serving 14 years for protesting against former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to Al Aqsa Mosque, which sparked the second Palestinian Intifada (uprising).

The Israeli authorities had extended his prison term because they cannot allow him to stay there without a residence permit, so they decided to keep him in prison until Jordanian authorities approve his return.

Mukarram expressed her and the family’s joy over Akram’s return, thanking security personnel at the Jordan Valley Border Crossing for their cooperation and good reception of her brother.

“My mother was so happy for his return that she fainted once she saw him crossing the border,” the sister said.