Nine Months After Diplomatic Crisis, Israel's New Ambassador to Jordan Arrives in Amman

Nine months after the shooting incident in the Jordanian capital that left two Jordanians dead, Israel's new ambassador to Jordan arrives in Amman. Senior ministry official Amir Weisbrod begins his first day as Israel' s ambassador to Jordan on Monday.

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There han't been an Israeli ambassador in Amman since the incident that took place back in July in which an Israeli security guard shot a Jordanian citizen who tried to stab him. A Jordanian bystander was also shot and killed in the incident. 

Ziv Moyal, the guard, killed 17-year-old Mohammed al-Jawawdeh after the Jordanian attacked him with a screwdriver. Jawawdeh had come to install furniture in the guard's Amman apartment. A bystander, the guard's Jordanian landlord, Dr. Bashar al-Hamarneh, was also killed shot and killed.

Weisbrod's appointment was announced back in February amid a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Israel's former ambassador, Einat Schlein, was immediately removed from her post following the shooting.

Jordan refused to allow Schlein to return to the embassy, and expressed indignation over how Israel depicted the incident and the warm reception that she and Moyal, received from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on their arrival in Jerusalem. The Foreign Ministry's appointments committee, however, had praise for Schlein and reiterated the ministry's intention to appoint her to another post reflecting her abilities.

The resumption of operations at the Israeli embassy in Amman was made possible after Israel expressed regret over the shooting and agreed to pay compensation to the families of the two Jordanians who were killed. The Jordanian newspaper Al-Ghad reported that Israel had paid a total of $5 million to the two families and the family of a Jordanian judge who was killed at the Israeli border crossing at the Allenby Bridge in 2014.

A month after the incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "I am certain that the two sides are drawing lessons [from the case]. I am doing so on my side, and I think Jordan is for its part. We have an important interest in contact, and that has found expression in the resolution [of the case]. I would like to express appreciation to the people who worked to bring the case to an end."