Jordan thwarts attempt by seven Sri Lankans to 'enter illegally into Israel'

The seven Sri Lankans were arrested by border forces, the Jordanian military said, amid a series of attempts by foreign nationals to cross the Jordan-Israel border.

MENA

1 min read

16 August, 2023

Jordan's armed forces said seven Sri Lankans had attempted to enter Israel illegally [IAISI/Getty-file photo]

Jordan thwarted an attempt by seven Sri Lankans to enter illegally into Israel on Wednesday morning, the Jordanian army announced on its website.

The seven were arrested by border forces and handed over to the relevant authorities, the military cited a source in its general command as saying.

The armed forces will deal firmly with infiltration or smuggling attempts to protect the borders and national security, the source said.

The Jordanian-Israeli border has witnessed instances of infiltration in previous years by people coming from Africa, Asia and Turkey to seek employment in Israel.

According to Israeli authorities, 52 people illegally infiltrated from Jordan last year and 23 did so in the first quarter of 2023.

Jordan, like Egypt, has longstanding diplomatic ties with Israel.

Several other Arab states, including the UAE and Morocco, agreed more recently to normalise relations with Israel in 2020 and early 2021.

Normalisation is highly controversial and Palestinians consider it a betrayal of their national cause.