Israel apologizes to Jordan over deadly embassy incident in July 2016
Jordan says Israel has submitted a formal apology notice over an incident in July 2016 that led to the deaths of two Jordanian citizens at its embassy in Amman, with Tel Aviv saying it will reopen its mission there, which was closed in the aftermath of the shooting.
Government spokesman Mohammad al Momani said Thursday that the Israeli ministry for foreign affairs had sent a memorandum expressing “deep regrets and apologies” over the killing of the two, a workman and a bystander, by an Israeli guard in the embassy compound.
The memorandum said Israel would take legal action against the guard, who was swiftly repatriated by the Israelis to avoid prosecution in Jordan, while the ambassador and embassy staffs were also pulled out.
“The [Jordanian] government will take appropriate measures in accordance with the supreme national interests in light of the Israeli memorandum, especially as it included a response to all conditions set by the government following the embassy incident in order so the [Israeli] ambassador may be returned, including all legal proceedings,” Momani said.
The embassy incident came in the midst of an uprising back then in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds amid anger at an Israeli decision to restrict their access to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Jordan, where pro-Palestinian sentiments run deep, also saw protests against the installment of security checks and cameras at the gates of al-Aqsa, which is the third holiest site for Muslims.
Israel finally succumbed to international pressure and removed security barriers from the mosques, but Jordan, which is the custodian of the holy site, said it would not allow Israel to reopen its embassy in Amman until proper legal actions were taken against the guard.
Jordan’s King Abdullah voiced anger at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the time for giving the guard behind the deadly shooting a hero’s embrace, saying it was “provocative on all fronts.”
Momani further told state news agency Petra that Israel had also vowed to take legal action against an Israeli soldier who had killed an unarmed Jordanian judge in 2014.
Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that full operations would be resumed in the Israeli embassy in Amman immediately.
Jordan and Egypt are the two only Arab states that have a peace treaty with Israel.
Amman has ignored widespread calls among the public to abandon the 1994 treaty and has maintained close cooperation with the Israelis over the years.
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