US pledges to continue pressing Jordan for Ahlam al-Tamimi's extradition

The US said on Monday that it will press for the extradition of a Palestinian woman in Jordan wanted by Israel, ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. 

Ahlam al-Tamimi was convicted by an Israeli court for assisting in an attack in Jerusalem that killed 15 people, including Israeli-American 15-year-old Malki Roth. She was later released during a prisoner swap with Hamas and sent to Jordan. 

Al-Tamimi has since defended her role in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing.

Despite pressure from US authorities, who listed Al-Tamimi among the FBI's "most wanted terrorists", Jordanian courts rejected an American extradition request in 2017. 

"The US government continues to seek [Al-Tamimi’s] extradition and the Government of Jordan’s assistance in bringing her to justice for her role in the heinous attack," the National Security Council said on Monday, according to Associated Press. 

Roth’s family has called on Biden to ensure Jordan, an American ally, sends al-Tamimi to the US for trial, where she has been charged with allegedly conspiring to use "weapons of mass destruction" against Americans. 

The relatives have asked for a meeting with Biden when he visits Israel later this week. 

"We are bereaved parents... We have a burning sense that injustice in the wake of our child’s murder is winning," they wrote in a letter to the US president. 

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday and Saudi Arabia on Friday.

The trip is expected to focus on countering Iranian influence in the Middle East, rather than offering alleviations for Palestinian communities.