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Israel set to reopen embassy in Amman after apologising for killings of Jordanians

The Israeli embassy in Jordan was closed shortly after a shooting incident last July

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Israel has formally apologised for the deaths of two Jordanian citizens, and announced the re-opening of the Israeli embassy in Jordan.

A Jordanian workman was shot dead in the embassy compound in July 2017 when a security guard opened fire as he was delivering furniture.

Jordanian officials said they treated the shooting as a criminal act, but Israel said it was unlikely to prosecute the guard, claiming he was acting in self-defence in what they described as a terrorist attack.

The Israeli embassy was closed shortly afterwards.

The incident was considered one of the worst crises in Jordanian-Israel relations since a peace treaty was signed between the two countries in 1994.

In a statement to the Petra news agency on Thursday, Jordanian spokesman Mohammed Momani said the Israeli Foreign Ministry had sent a memorandum offering “deep regrets and apologies” for the incident, and pledging to “implement and follow up legal measures” in the case.

The ministry also said it was looking into the case of an unarmed Jordanian judge killed by an Israeli soldier in 2014, and offering compensation the families of the deceased.

It announced plans to reopen the embassy in Jordan “immediately”.

The Israeli Embassy in Jordan will return to full activity immediately,” the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said in a statement. “The Israeli authorities will continue reviewing the materials regarding the July 2017 incident and anticipate making a decision in the coming weeks.”

 

 

 

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