By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - Activists and families of Jordanian prisoners in Israel on Sunday staged a sit-in near the Prime Ministry urging the government to secure the release of dozens of Jordanians imprisoned in Israeli jails.

Organisers said the event was held to mark the one-year anniversary of the release of four Jordanian prisoners who were previously serving life sentences for cross-border attacks on Israel.

Last year, the government released Sultan Ajlouni, Salem and Khaled Abu Ghalioun along with Amin Al Saneh after they spent nearly two decades in Israeli jails.

The government secured the release of the men according to an agreement with Tel Aviv in July 2007, which stipulated they serve 18 months in Jordanian jails.

The detainees, however, were released last August according to an article in the Penal Code stipulating that inmates on good behaviour serve three quarters of their time in prison, months ahead of their scheduled release date in January 2009.

During yesterday’s protest, parents, brothers, sisters and children of prisoners held banners urging the release of Jordanians currently in Israeli jails.

A mother of a prisoner who is serving 11 life sentences was overwhelmed with emotion, sobbing as she spoke of her plight since the arrest of her son, who has been in prison for seven years on charges of attempted attacks.

"I am living a nightmare. I cannot do anything in my life. I can’t even sleep at night," Um Mohammad told The Jordan Times near the Prime Ministry, where she was surrounded by family members.

The father of Laith Keilani, who has been missing in Israel for four years, wants to know the fate of his son.

"I don’t know if my son is alive or dead. He is a Jordanian citizen and the government is responsible to find out what happened to him," he said as he held a poster for his son.

"The government in Amman is to blame for the fate of prisoners. It does not seem to care about them," said Maysara Malas, president of the National Committee for Prisoners and Missing Persons in Israel, noting that the latest figures show there are 29 prisoners in Israeli jails.

Malas said the prisoners can only be released if one of the Palestinian factions manages to negotiate a prisoner exchange.

Following the demonstration, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Thouqan Qudah on Sunday met with families of Jordanian prisoners and stressed that the government is following up on the cases of Jordanians prisoners not only in Israel but across the world. He added that the government will continue talks with Israel to ensure the release of all Jordanians in Israeli jails, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Fayez, director of the Consular Department at the Foreign Ministry, said the ministry is organising a visit to Israel after Eid Al Fitr for families of prisoners.