Zakaria Jawawdah
Photo: AP
Embassy attacker's father wants to tie investigation to Temple Mount standoff
Zakaria Jawawdah says willing to rescind demand for investigation against the Israeli guard who shot his son after being attacked by him in return for deal with Israel to remove all security measures from the Temple Mount; guard to be questioned by Israel Police.
Zakaria Jawawdah, whose son Mohammad was shot dead
at the Israeli embassy in Amman after attacking a security guard, has said he was willing to rescind his demand for an investigation against the guard in return for a political deal with Israel to remove all security measures
from the Temple Mount.
Speaking to Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad in an interview published Wednesday, Jawawdah said he was also willing to give up "his rights concerning his son" in return for the release of 16 Jordanian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Jawawdah told the paper he met on Monday night with Jordan's Interior Minister Ghaleb Zu'bi, who promised to convey his request to more senior government officials.
Zakaria Jawawdah (Photo: AP)
He said he was surprised the Israeli security guard was allowed to leave the country only hours after the interior minister assured him the guard would be prevented from doing so by any means necessary.
The father also criticized the video released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office showing Netanyahu meeting with the security guard and patting him on the back.
"Netanyahu patted the murderer's back and it didn't seem like there were any signs of violence to indicate he was stabbed," Jawawdah said.
Netanyahu meets with the security guard upon his return to Israel (Photo: Haim Tzah, GPO)
Jawawdah said both the driver who works for him and the building's security guard—both of whom witnessed the altercation—are still being questioned by authorities.
His relatives painted an Israeli flag on the ground at the entrance to his son's mourners' tent, so visitors could step on it.
After the incident on Sunday night, dozens of family members of the attacker gathered in Asharq Al-Awsat square in Amman to protest his death. They demanded that the Jordanian government release all details of the investigation and sentence the shooter to death. Jordanian security forces dispersed protestors using tear gas.
In an interview with Jordanian television station Ro'ya TV, the stabber's father insisted his son did not know the nationality of the man who killed him and that he was a regular customer who bought furniture from them.
Israel Police to question security guard
According to the Vienna Convention, of which Israel is signatory, diplomats are immune from prosecution in the host country. However, upon their return to Israel, authorities are obligated to investigate the allegations against them.In line with that, the embassy security guard will be questioned by the Israel Police—likely under caution as he is suspected of manslaughter—and the findings of the investigation will be passed on to Jordanian authorities.
