Condemnation continues of Israel’s ‘absurd’, ‘shameful’ handling of embassy killings

AMMAN – Jordanians have expressed “outrage” over the way Israel treated the diplomat who killed two Jordanians in Amman on Sunday. 

Israeli media on Tuesday showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu giving a hero's welcome to the unidentified embassy security guard who shot dead a 16-year-old boy and a surgeon near the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital.

Following the incident, a tape of a telephone call between Netanyahu, the ambassador in Amman and the guard went viral, in which the Israeli prime minister voiced his pride over the way the embassy staffer handled the situation. 

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday described the Israeli reaction as "absurd", saying that the Israeli side is "trying to portray this as if the ambassador and the suspect were under siege and were somehow liberated, celebrating them as ‘heroes coming back home’".

"This is a criminal case and I think it is in everybody's interest that it is pursued as such," he noted. 

Political analysts also expressed their resentment over the way Israel has dealt with the incident and argued that it shows, above all else,“a lack of morality” and “a diplomatic immaturity”. 

"Jordanians feel resentful and angry over the Israeli arrogance and how the staffer was welcomed as a hero. This has amplified our grief… the telephone call between Netanyahu and the diplomat was recorded in public, in an ostentatious way, which says a lot about how Israel perceives a neighbour that has been more than tolerant and kind towards it," said former deputy JamilNimri. 

He told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that Israel "could have at least showed respect and appreciation for the Jordanian position, and for the family of the victims, by receiving the diplomat in silence”.

For researcher and analyst Nadia Saad Eddine, the meeting between Netanyahu, the ambassador and the embassy staffer, in addition to the telephone call, "reveals the level of arrogance and smugness of the Zionist entity".

"What happened is not out of context of the brutal Israeli practices, whether against the Palestinian people or the Arab states, even those it is signatory to peace treaties with," she told The Jordan Times, saying that the "occupation authorities dealt with the incident as if they are above the law and diplomatic rules".

"Today, ministers and members of the Israeli government have called for the complete closure of the case, deeming the return of the embassy staff as an end to the case," said the researcher. 

Meanwhile, Jordanians took to social media websites to express their anger over the way the Israeli side dealt with the issue and criticised the Jordanian government for allowing the swift return of the diplomat before further investigations could be conducted. 

"There are two different sides to the story, and we are still waiting for the Jordanian side to explain the circumstances that led to the return of the embassy staffers," Saad Eddine said.

In an interview with CNN, Safadi noted that Jordan respected its obligations under international law because the suspect enjoyed diplomatic immunity, a statement challenged by Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"I cannot find a convincing justification, neither over the return of the Israeli security guard, nor the official narrative. Isn't there a minimum respect for the Jordanian citizen and the prestige of the country? Does diplomatic immunity allow diplomats to kill citizens of the country they work in? The level we have reached is shameful and unfortunate," he said on his official Facebook account.