Middle Eastupdated 20m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 14 June 2024Jordan Detains Israeli After Navy Stops Swim Into Territorial Waters Near Eilat
6 Other5 West Asian2 IsraeliPhoto: NASA Johnson Space Center / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Israeli national detained by Jordanian navy after swimming into Jordanian territorial waters. Occurred Saturday; reported Sunday; suspect handed to Jordanian authorities.
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Swimmer detained near Aqaba
Jordan’s military said its naval forces detained an Israeli who swam from Israel into Jordanian territorial waters on Saturday, and the Royal Navy handed him over to the relevant authorities. The Jordanian military source told Petra that naval forces spotted a person attempting to swim from the Israeli side into Jordanian territorial waters, and soldiers immediately went to the site to apprehend him. The reports placed the incident in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba, and they said Jordan and Israel share a maritime border of less than 3 km across the Red Sea between Eilat and Aqaba.
The Israeli military confirmed the Jordanian claims, saying it received a report on Saturday of an Israeli civilian who crossed by sea from Israeli territory into Jordanian waters and that Israeli security authorities were working through relevant channels to ensure his safe return. Jordanian and Israeli accounts also differed on the method, with Israel Hayom cited in one report saying an Israeli swam from Eilat to Aqaba in August, while the current reports described the Saturday incident as an attempted swim into Jordanian waters.
Competing details on method
The Jordanian Armed Forces said a reliable military source in the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces, the Arab Army, stated on X that the Royal Navy leadership arrested the Israeli on Saturday and turned him over to competent authorities. The Israeli Army Radio said the Israeli was stopped on Saturday in Eilat Bay while crossing the maritime border into Jordan, and it added that the Israeli departed from the shores of the city of Eilat on a stand-up paddleboard before security forces intercepted him. The IDF emphasized in its statement that crossing the border into Jordan outside an authorized border crossing is prohibited, poses a danger to Israeli citizens, and constitutes a violation of the law.
L’Orient Today quoted a Jordanian army statement saying, "The Royal Navy Command arrested yesterday an Israeli who had infiltrated Jordanian territorial waters by sea," while it also quoted the Israeli military saying it received a report "of an Israeli civilian who crossed by sea from Israeli territory into Jordanian waters." The Times of Israel said the incident took place in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba and reported that the IDF said Israeli security authorities were working through relevant channels to ensure his safe return.
Return efforts and legal framing
Jordanian reports said the maritime border guards apprehended the infiltrator before reaching Jordanian shores and transferred him directly to competent security authorities for further investigation and legal measures.
The Jordanian military source in one account said the Royal Navy spotted the person attempting to infiltrate from the Israeli side by swimming towards territorial waters, and it said soldiers immediately moved to the location to apprehend him.
The IDF said Israeli security authorities were working through relevant channels to ensure the man’s safe return, while it also reiterated that crossing outside an authorized border crossing is prohibited.
One report said Jordan and Israel signed the Wadi Araba peace treaty on Oct. 26, 1994, agreeing to respect their international boundary and each other's territorial waters.
The reports also pointed to a broader pattern of border enforcement, with Arab News saying Jordan announces several monthly infiltration attempts along its borders, mainly with Syria and Iraq, and it added that illegal crossings from Israel are rare.