Three siblings of Jordanian jailed in Israel receive visas to visit him

AMMAN — Three siblings of Muneer Merie, a Jordanian prisoner in Israel, on Wednesday received visas from the Israeli embassy in Amman to visit him, Muneer’s brother Shaheen said on Thursday.

“A brother and two sisters will visit Muneer on Monday,” Shaheen told The Jordan Times.

Shaheen observed a hunger strike near the Foreign Ministry for 21 consecutive days, demanding that officials secure a visit to his brother Muneer, who was recently attacked by prison guards.

The assault on Muneer reportedly took place when guards at the Jalbou Prison implemented an inspection on his cell before dawn, violating a “deal” with prisoners to carry out such a procedure during the day.

Shaheen, an engineer, said that he finished his strike on Wednesday under medical supervision after his siblings received the visas.

Muneer was arrested in April 2003, and is serving five life sentences on charges related to dispatching some men to carry out attacks in Adora settlement in the West Bank’s Hebron.

“The visit is scheduled to last for two hours, where my siblings should be able to see Muneer without a glass barrier,” Shaheen said, noting that this is the first visit to see their imprisoned brother.

There are currently some 25 Jordanian prisoners in Israel, six of whom are serving life sentences, including Muneer.

The five other prisoners serving life are Abdullah Barghouthi (67 life sentences), Marae Abu Saeedeh (11 life sentences), Hisham Kaabi (four life sentences), and Mohammad Rimawi and Hani Khamaiseh, each of whom is serving one life sentence.