King pays condolences to Jawawdeh

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday visited the condolences tent of the Jawadeh family in south Amman, where he paid respect for the death of their 16-year-old son, Mohammad, who was killed by an Israeli embassy employee.

Videos of the visit and conversations with the father of the boy went viral online immediately.

One day after killing Jawawdeh, and Bashar Hamarneh, a doctor and the landlord, during an argument with the young man at a residential building rented by the Israeli embassy in Amman, the killer, who shot both, left Jordan to Israel as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. There, he was received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the footage of the encounter triggered public anger among social media users in Jordan.

In one of the videos, the father says that His Majesty reassured him that he would make sure that justice is served and the rights of the victims and their families would never be compromised, echoing a statement he made on the same day while chairing the National Policies Council (see separate story).

The day before, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh deputised for the King in extending sympathies to the Jawawdehs, telling the family that the government, in response to directives by His Majesty, would follow up on this issue in accordance with international laws and diplomatic norms to ensure justice.