Malki’s killer not publicly raised with Jordanian king

The father of an Australian teenager murdered in the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing says he is hugely disappointed that the case of his daughter’s killer was not publicly raised during King Abdullah II’s visit to Canberra this week.

Malki Roth, 15, was among 16 people killed when a Hamas suicide bomber detonated explosives packed with nails and bolts inside the crowded Jerusalem restaurant on August 9, 2001. Seven of the dead were children. Ahlam Tamimi, who scouted the location and escorted the bomber, was sentenced to 16 life terms in Israel, released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, and has since lived openly in Amman.

She has faced US terrorism charges since 2013 over the deaths of American nationals, including Malki, who held dual citizenship, and is the sole female on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. Jordan has refused to extradite her.

Arnold Roth told News24’s Andrew Bolt that his daughter’s name went unmentioned throughout the state visit. “I’m not privy to the whispers any more than you are,” Roth said. “But is it disappointing? Of course, it’s hugely disappointing. I should also say that I’ve grown accustomed to this kind of disappointment at multiple levels.”

He was critical of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, saying he had made several requests over the past decade and received “the same factually wrong, disingenuous answers each time”.

“It’s hard not to notice how opposed they are to exposing what Jordan does on the Tamimi issue, and the lengths that the civil servants go to to justify their embrace of the kingdom and what it stands for. They’re not serving Australia’s interests or values by doing this.”

The AJN has been led to understand Tamimi was indeed raised in some capacity during Abdullah’s visit.

Jordan maintains it cannot extradite because a 2017 court found the 1995 extradition treaty with the United States was never properly ratified. But Roth has obtained, under US freedom-of-information law, a letter from the late King Hussein — Abdullah’s father — confirming he had ratified it in 1995.

“There is a technical breach. It was done by Jordan. It can be fixed by Jordan. Could have been fixed every single day. Has never been fixed,” Roth said. “So that’s the proximate cause. The real cause: she’s [Tamimi] phenomenally popular. She’s a celebrity. They gave her her own TV show, which went to air globally.”

He stressed his position was not partisan. “The previous governments that were not Labor did exactly as much as the Labor government is currently doing,” he said. “It’s about justice. How many people can trample justice and get away with it, as clearly as all the officials in these various countries have gotten away with it for years?”

Writing in News Corp press before Abdullah’s visit, Roth had urged Anthony Albanese to raise the matter directly, arguing it would be consistent with Australia’s stated commitment to counter-terrorism and the protection of its citizens.

The joint leaders’ statement issued on Wednesday after Albanese met Abdullah in Canberra runs to 22 points. Leaders “unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations”, and agreed to strengthen information sharing and operational coordination to prevent and disrupt terrorist activity, financing and recruitment. Australia welcomed Abdullah’s leadership against terrorism through the Aqaba Process, and flagged interest in hosting an Aqaba meeting in 2027 on countering online extremism.

On the region, the two reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution, rejected any attempt to annex the West Bank or displace Palestinians, and condemned the E1 settlement project as a violation of international law. They stressed the need to preserve the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, with Australia emphasising the historical Hashemite custodianship.

They called for full implementation of the Gaza peace plan under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and underscored the importance of supporting UNRWA and enabling it to carry out its mandate. Australia also condemned Iranian attacks on Jordan. The statement made no reference to Tamimi or to any Australian victim of terrorism.

The Prime Minister’s office has been contacted for comment.