Trump Administration Seeks to Bring Terrorist Ahlam Tamimi to Justice

The Trump administration has taken a huge step in getting back U.S. power prestige in the Middle East.

On March 14, 2017, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Palestinian terrorist Ahlam Tamimi with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals outside the U.S., resulting in death. Also unsealed was a warrant for Tamimi’s arrest and an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrant. There was also an extradition request to Jordan.

Ahlam Tamimi is the terrorist responsible for the 2001 suicide bombing at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem that killed 15 people and injured another 130. Among the American victims of this terrorist act: Judith Greenbaum and Malka Roth, who were both killed; and David Danzig, Matthew Gordon, Joanne Nachenberg, and Sara Nachenberg, all of whom were injured. Malka Roth was only 15 years old at the time of her death, and was one of eight children killed in the bombing. Judith Greenbaum was pregnant. Joanne Nachenberg is in a vegetative state as a result of the bombing.

So, essentially, four American lives were cut short that day.

In late 2011, Tamimi was released by Israel as part of the trade of over one thousand Palestinian terrorists for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was being held by Hamas. Tamimi immediately got money from both the Palestinian Authority, in their “Pay-to-Slay” program, which is subsidized by American dollars, and from the terror group Hamas, and settled in Jordan. She is frequently praised by other Palestinians, and her bombing has been honored in a Palestinian exhibit. Her wedding to another terrorist murderer was a celebrated event televised throughout the Arab world. Until recently, she was hosting her own weekly television show for Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV station from her new home in Jordan.

Tamimi has admitted, multiple times on television, that she participated in the Sbarro terrorist bombing, that killed and wounded Americans, in a particularly horrific way. In one interview, she even expressed her delight at the number of children among the dead. This, of course, included one 15-year-old American. She has also been celebrating her crime and inciting more terrorism in numerous additional interviews with Arab media and on social media, which violates the terms of her commutation. This makes her situation a national security issue.

But since the Trump administration made their courageous decision, which neither the Bush nor the Obama administrations were ever willing to make, Jordan, a U.S. ally that receives over a billion and a half dollars a year from the U.S. in foreign assistance, has refused extradition.

Tamimi herself claimed that she shouldn’t stand American justice because of “double jeopardy.” This is not true.

The Jordanian decision should not be allowed to stand. Tamimi has killed and wounded Americans, and she has celebrated and incited more crimes. She must be punished for her temerity.

Of course, some will say that “we can’t pressure King Abdullah, our loyal U.S. ally,” or he may be replaced by someone or something far worse. If true, this is depressing, as Abdullah’s power is truly hanging by a single thread, and he may already be doomed. But, I suspect these concerns are just the usual nonsense coming from the State Department Blob types, who never want to do anything but negotiate, and wouldn’t recognize our U.S. national security interests if they fell over them in the parking lot.

It is simple: a person who kills and wounds Americans and celebrates this negative act must be punished. Otherwise, we will see more acts of terror against Americans overseas. This is the idea of positive punishment. Like children, foreign nations and international groups must learn to behave when it comes to U.S. citizens.

Tamimi killed Americans. She must serve justice. She must be punished. Tamimi can receive this through the American judicial system, under jurisdiction and procedures created by the Anti-Terrorism Act.

I recognize how tough and scary this concept is. Not many leaders have the “cajones” to do what needs to be done in this case. But President Trump has already shown he is willing to do things other leaders are afraid to do.

To paraphrase former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a leader who understood how to be tough, “this is no time (for President Trump) to go wobbly” on Ahlam Tamimi.

Originally published at Newmax: http://www.newsmax.com/AdamTurner/ahlam-tamimi-sbarro-jordan-extradition-request/2017/03/31/id/781877/

Photo credit: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images