Israel Police to probe Jordan shooting that sparked diplomatic crisis
State Prosecutor's Office announces it has asked police to open investigation into the shooting incident at the Israeli embassy in Jordan last month involving Israeli an security guard, in which two Jordanian civilians were killed; Jordanian king made it clear that appearance of security guard as a hero in Israel would have serious implications for relations between both countries.
The State Prosecutor's Office announced Friday that it had asked the police to open an investigation into the shooting incident at the Israeli embassy in Jordan last month involving Israeli security guard Ziv Moyal, in which two Jordanian civilians were killed.
The State Prosecutor's Office added it has contacted the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division of the Israel Police, and that the investigation would be conducted with the assistance of the State Attorney's Office. "In view of the findings that will be raised, the possibility will also be considered of contacting the Jordanian authorities in order to transfer additional materials to the police," the statement said.
The examination that will be opened by the police will in fact have investigative characteristics. Apparently it was decided to define this as a "test" because the authorities in Israel are not interested at this stage in investigating the security guard under warning. The announcement came following Jordanian pressure on Israel: King Abdullah II and other Jordanian officials expressed anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warm reception on his return from Jordan. The Jordanian king and his people made it clear that the appearance of the security guard as a hero in Israel would have serious implications for relations between the two countries.
Last month's deadly shootings came as Jordan was involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations to end Israel-Palestinian tensions over the Temple Mount. Ziv Moyal, an Israeli embassy guard in Jordan, shot and killed 17-year-old Muhammad al-Jawawdeh after the young man stabbed Ziv with a screwdriver allegedly during a dispute.
Bassem al-Hamarna, the landlord in the building where the stabbing took place, was killed after being struck with a stray bullet.
Embassy staff later returned to Israel under the protection of diplomatic immunity and the guard received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the dismay of Jordan and particularly its King Adullah II, who called Netanyahu's publishing of his embrace of the guard "unacceptable and provocative behavior."
There has been widespread anger over the incident in Jordan, where a 1994 peace treaty with Israel is unpopular.
