Jordanians urge government to cancel peace treaty with Israel

CAIRO – 28 July 2017: Hundreds of Jordanians protested following Friday prayers near the Israeli embassy in Amman, calling on the government to close the embassy and cancel the 1994 Wadi Araba peace treaty with Israel. The protests in Jordan came after a security guard shot and killed two Jordanians at the embassy premises on Sunday.

On Thursday, Jordan's King Abdullah called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to put the Israeli security guard involved in the shooting on trial and warned that the way the incident was handled would directly affect ties between the two countries. Jordan also condemned Netanyahu's behavior towards the security guard, as he embraced him in a hero's welcome.

The staff of Israel’s embassy in Jordan, including the security guard involved in the shooting incident, returned to Tel Aviv from Amman on Monday, despite Jordan’s calls to turn in the attacker for investigation. Israel claimed he had diplomatic immunity.

The Wadi Araba peace treaty was signed in 1994 between Israel and Jordan in a ceremony at Wadi Araba, the Israeli-Jordanian border. The treaty opens the way for cooperation in trade, tourism, transport links, water resources and environmental protection.