As an invited speaker on its Legal Affairs Forum, Arnold Roth addressed this week's Jewish News Syndicate 2025 International Summit in Jerusalem. Here's the speech he delivered.
This summit comes at a moment demanding moral clarity and courageous leadership from the United States. Today, I focus on a case that encapsulates these issues. It’s about Ahlam Tamimi, the Jordanian terrorist who orchestrated the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing in Jerusalem, murdering 16 innocents, including three Americans. One was my daughter Malki, 15.
The Jordan/Tamimi case exposes a troubling truth: Jordan, a US ally, has failed on two fronts—refusing to condemn Tamimi’s terrorism and violating a cornerstone treaty made with the US under President Clinton. This injustice has festered in silence for years. It’s time for the US to lead with principle and hold treaty partners accountable.
Tamimi is no repentant fugitive. She scouted Jerusalem for a target rich in families and children, settling on a crowded pizzeria during school vacation. She accompanied the human bomb to the site, then rushed back to Ramallah to present the evening television news. Since then, she has lived freely in Jordan, celebrated as a hero. She hosted a TV show, addressed rallies, and appeared on social media, bragging about the lives she ended—lives like my daughter Malki’s, an American citizen whose memory demands justice.
In 2017, the US Department of Justice charged Tamimi with terrorism and added her to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, offering a $5 million reward for her capture. Yet Jordan, bound by the bilateral 1995 extradition treaty, refuses to hand her over. Jordan’s courts claim the treaty is invalid—a technical argument contradicted by facts and disputed by the US. Meanwhile, Jordan’s leaders remain silent, unwilling to condemn Tamimi’s crimes.
This silence isn’t neutrality—it’s complicity. Jordan accepts billions in US aid, pledges cooperation against terrorism, and even outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood last week. Tamimi is aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Jordan continues to harbor America’s most wanted female fugitive, prioritizing political convenience over principle. This makes a mockery of justice and erodes trust in international law.
The United States cannot afford ambiguity on terrorism. After 9/11, Washington demanded allies stand with the US or step aside. It’s time to apply that same clarity here.
My family and the families of other victims deserve more than sympathy—we deserve action. Treaties are not guidelines; they are solemn promises. Jordan has extradited other terrorists under this treaty. Why is Tamimi different?
Today, I announce that nearly 27,000 people have signed a petition urging the US Secretary of State to press Jordan to extradite Tamimi.
From this podium, I call on you—America’s thought-leaders, storytellers and conscience—to bring this painful affair into the light.
The White House, Congress, and State Department have tools at their disposal: diplomatic pressure, economic incentives, even aid conditions. They must use them. And the media must challenge them to act.
Terrorism thrives when nations waver. By insisting on Tamimi’s extradition, America would reaffirm that terrorists cannot escape accountability. When justice is shoved aside, the foundations of civilized society are undermined. But it’s not too late. We yearn for leadership that is principled, determined, and unwavering. And for media reportage that respects the doctrine of “neither fear nor favor”.
Justice for Malki and the other innocents must matter more than the savages who took their lives. Let us unite to make that happen.
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