Jordan's king slams Benjamin Netanyahu over decision to recall Israeli shooter involved in diplomatic incident

Jordanian royal offers scathing criticism of Israeli prime minister over handling of diplomatic crisis sparked by incident in which guard shot and killed two Jordanians 

Thursday 27 July 2017 18:18 BST
Comments
Mourners carry the body of 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh
Mourners carry the body of 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh

Jordan's King Abdullah II has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of a shooting incident in the capital of Amman, calling his behaviour "unacceptable and provocative".

An Israeli guard shot and killed two Jordanians after one of them attacked him with a screwdriver at the Israeli embassy on Monday.

The two countries have been engaged in a diplomatic stand off over Israel's decision to recall the guard home, after the Jordanian authorities said they wanted him for questioning.

Metal detectors removed from holy site by Israel authorities

Mr Netanyahu's conduct "angers us all, threatens regional security and fuels extremism," the king told a meeting of Jordan's National Policies Council (NPC) meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace on Thursday, calling for the shooter to stand trial.

“The Israeli prime minister is required to honour his responsibilities and take the necessary legal measures to ensure that the killer is tried and justice is served, rather than exhibiting political showmanship in dealing with this crime to score personal political points."

Israel shielded the guard in question under the Vienna convention, claiming diplomatic immunity, and Mr Netanyahu praised him for acting "calmly".

The incident has led to protests in Jordan, where a 1994 peace deal with the Jewish state remains deeply unpopular.

The guard and the other embassy staff returned to Jerusalem, where the Israeli authorities were also dealing with a crisis with the Palestinians over access to the holy site known as the Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al-Sharif to Muslims.

The site - a recurrent flash point for Arab-Israeli violence - is located in East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel in 1967, but is administered under the auspices of Jordan to avoid conflict.

Tensions have been running high in the city since 14 July, when Palestinian gunmen shot and killed two Israeli police officers, prompting the authorities to install new security measures at the site such as metal detectors and CCTV cameras.

"We have managed the crisis at... Haram Al Sharif after continuous efforts... to contain its ramifications and reopen the mosque in its entirety through our common stand with our Palestinian brethren. It is important to stress the need to ensure full respect of the historical and legal status quo at Al Haram Al Sharif to prevent the recurrence of such crises,” the king added.

While the Palestinian authority and the site's religious body Waqf said on Thursday morning they were satisfied Israel had removed the new measures, urging worshippers to end protests outside the al-Aqsa mosque and return to pray inside, fresh clashes erupted during the afternoon's prayers, injuring at least 37.

Observers had hoped the issue would be resolved before Friday, the Muslim holy day, which usually attracts thousands more worshippers and often sees heightened religious violence.

The Israeli security forces remain on high alert.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in