Israel provided Jordan with information regarding a secret military organization within the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, whose goal was to purchase weapons and then smuggle them into the Palestinian Authority, Jordanian security sources told the Al-Hayat newspaper on Sunday. The security sources revealed that 31 members of the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood have been detained in recent days on terrorism-related charges. The arrests follow the arrest late last month of the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood’s branch in the kingdom, Zaki Bani Arshid, who was reportedly detained due to statements he made against the United Arab Emirates. According to Al-Hayat , among those arrested by Jordan were also 21 Palestinian Arabs who crossed the border from the PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria and had entered Jordan to study at universities in the northern and central parts of the country. Murad Adayleh, one of the leaders of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, was quoted by the newspaper as having told reporters that “none of the detainees have proven to be involved in smuggling or buying weapons.” The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is generally tolerated by the authorities and has wide grassroots support, but has often protested against the Jordanian government . The group also objects to Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel and has often organized protests calling for its cancellation. In 2012, Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized the naming of a new ambassador to Israel, saying the move was “an act of provocation towards Jordanians.” In September, Jordan arrested a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood on charges of "incitement" against the authorities.
