The Cabinet voted Sunday in favor of allowing four Jordanian nationals toserve the remainder of their life sentence for the killing of two IDF soldiers in Jordan, but some ministers estimated that King Abdullah may pardon the terrorists within the next 18 months.
Outgoing Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said following the meeting that the four would be transferred to Jordan on Tuesday or Wednesday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni were among those who advocated the Jordanians’ transfer, citing the fact that they have already served 17 years in prison.
On November 7, 1990, three of the Jordanians infiltrated Israel and ambushed an IDF patrol, killing Captain Yehuda Lifshitz. The three were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Five days following the first incident, the fourth Jordanian, who was a minor at the time, infiltrated Israel, penetrated an IDF stronghold and murdered Staff Sergeant Pinchas Levi. He was also sentence to life in jail.