AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdallah has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to put on trial an embassy security guard who shot dead two Jordanians.
He said the way the incident was handled would affect ties between the two countries.
In a statement, the Jordanian king said Netanyahu’s behavior toward the security guard, whom he embraced in a hero’s welcome on his return to Israel under diplomatic immunity, was “provocative on all fronts and enrages us, destabilizes security and fuels extremism.”
“We demand that the Israeli prime minister abides by his commitment and takes all measures to ensure the trial of the killer and not to handle this like a political show to achieve personal political gains,” he said.
In an incident testing already tense relations between the two neighbors, the guard shot dead a Jordanian teenager at Israel’s embassy in Amman on Sunday while a second Jordanian — the landlord of the house in the compound where the security guard lived — was also shot dead.
Jordanian police said on Monday that the security guard had fired on the teenager after the young man, who worked for a furniture firm and was delivering an order, got into a brawl and attacked him.
But they rejected Israel’s account that he had used a screwdriver to stab the guard in what Israeli officials described as a “terrorist attack.”
Jordan had wanted to question the guard, but Israel said he had diplomatic immunity and repatriated him.
King Abdallah vowed that the state would “do everything within its means” to get justice for the two slain Jordanians.
Jordan is one of two Arab states with which Israel has peace treaties. In what was a rare outburst against Israel, Abdullah also cited a previous incident in which a Jordanian judge was shot in March 2014 by an Israeli soldier while crossing a border crossing that outraged Jordanians.
No investigation was ever conducted.
“The way Israel handles the embassy case and the judges killing and other cases will have a direct impact on the nature of our relationship,” King Abdallah said.
Many Jordanians have criticized the authorities for handing over the security guard in what they said was an affront to national sovereignty. Lawmakers walked out of Parliament in protest at what they saw as inadequate response by the government.
Jordan’s king calls for Amman embassy shooter to face trial
Jordan’s king calls for Amman embassy shooter to face trial
Israel’s Supreme Court suspends govt move to shut army radio
- Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station.
In a ruling issued late Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the suspension was partly because the government “did not provide a clear commitment not to take irreversible steps before the court reaches a final decision.”
He added that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the suspension.
The cabinet last week approved the closure of Galei Tsahal, with the shutdown scheduled to take effect before March 1, 2026.
Founded in 1950, Galei Tsahal is widely known for its flagship news programs and has long been followed by both domestic and foreign correspondents.
A government audience survey ranks it as Israel’s third most listened-to radio station, with a market share of 17.7 percent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged ministers to back the closure, saying there had been repeated proposals over the years to remove the station from the military, abolish it or privatise it.
But Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is facing dismissal proceedings initiated by the premier, has warned that closing the station raised “concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
She added that it “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Galei Tsahal broadcasts “political and divisive content” that does not align with military values.
He said soldiers, civilians and bereaved families had complained that the station did not represent them and undermined morale and the war effort.
Katz also argued that a military-run radio station serving the general public is an anomaly in democratic countries.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had condemned the closure decision, calling it part of the government’s effort to suppress freedom of expression ahead of elections.
Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2026, and Netanyahu has said he will seek another term as prime minister.
