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Israel and Jordan in diplomatic standoff after Israeli security agent kills two at embassy in Amman
Jordan is refusing to allow an Israeli diplomatic security agent to leave the country after he killed two Jordanians while being attacked at Israel’s embassy in Amman, leading to a diplomatic standoff between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbour.
The situation began on Sunday when a 17-year-old Jordanian carpenter came to a residential building inside the heavily-fortified Israeli embassy compound to replace some furniture.
The carpenter then attacked the Israeli guard with a screw driver, according to the Israeli foreign ministry. The guard opened fire and killed the carpenter but also fatally wounded the landlord of the building, a Jordanian doctor.
Jordanian police are now demanding that the wounded security guard submit to interrogation over the killings. But Israel has said the agent has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested or questioned.
“In accordance with the Vienna Convention, the security officer has immunity from investigation and imprisonment,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Jordan's Department of Public Safety said it was investigating the incident.
Jordan is one of only two Arab countries that have diplomatic ties to Israel and the shooting in Amman adds new strain on the already sensitive Israeli-Jordanian relationship.
The shooting comes amid a wave of violence sparked by tensions over the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.
Israel installed metal detectors at the mosque after Palestinians smuggled guns into the holy site and used them to kill two Israeli police officers.
But the metal detectors have sparked a major backlash from Palestinians, who see them as part of Israeli effort to assert its control over the holy site, which is also sacred to to Jews and known to Israelis as the Temple Mount.
On Friday there were widespread clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces, which ended with the deaths of three young Palestinians.
Late on Friday evening a Palestinian teenager crept in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and killed three Israelis as they sat for traditional shabbat dinner.
It was not clear if the carpenter in Amman was motivated by the situation at al-Aqsa. There have been large demonstrations in Jordan in solidarity with Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Jordan plays a role in the Islamic administration of the al-Aqsa mosque and Israeli and Jordanian officials had been speaking behind the scenes all last week to try to reach a compromise to reduce tensions. No agreement was struck.
Donald Trump’s peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt, was due to fly to the region on Monday to try to help broker a deal.
The Palestinian Authority - the semi-autonomous Palestinian government in the West Bank - has cut all official contact with Israel over the situation at al-Aqsa. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is under pressure from his public to take a hard line over al-Aqsa.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is under similar pressure from the Right-wing of his own coalition government.
While the Israeli military and lead security agency are said to favour removing the metal detectors at al-Aqsa to calm the situation, Mr Netanyahu’s more Right-wing cabinet ministers say removing the detectors would be giving in to Palestinian pressure.
The cabinet met late on Sunday to discuss the issue but no decision was made.
Jordanian security forces deployed around Israel’s fortress-like embassy in Amman on Monday to protect it. Israel’s diplomats were huddled inside the compound, effectively stuck there until the situation with the guard is resolved.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security authorities are working with the Jordanian government over various channels,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.