Jordanians protest against Israel at funeral of shot teenager

Several thousand Jordanians urged their government on Tuesday to close the Israeli embassy in Amman and scrap an unpopular peace treaty during the funeral of a young Jordanian shot dead by an Israeli security guard in the embassy.

Dozens of demonstrators chanted “No to an Israeli embassy or ambassador on Jordanian land” and called for a jihad (holy struggle) as they carried the coffin of Mohammad Jawawdah, 16, to his burial place in a cemetery in the capital.

Jordanian police said on Monday that Jawawdah, who worked in a furniture firm, had got into a brawl with the Israeli security guard after entering the fortress-like compound of the embassy on Sunday to deliver an order.

Read: Al-Aqsa in crisis

They said the Israeli security guard had fired on Jawawdah after the young man attacked him, but did not confirm Israel’s account that he had used a screwdriver to stab the guard in what Israeli officials described as a “terrorist attack”.

Israel said the security officer had acted in self-defence when he shot his attacker while his father said the young teenager had no militant links.

The staff of Israel’s embassy in Jordan, including the secuity guard involved in the shooting incident, returned to Israel from Amman on Monday.

People carry the dead body of Muhammad al-Jawawdah, who was killed by an Israeli bodyguard outside the Israeli Embassy on in Amman, Jordan on 25 July, 2017 [Salah Malkawi/Anadolu Agency]

People carry the dead body of Muhammad al-Jawawdah, who was killed by an Israeli bodyguard outside the Israeli Embassy on Sunday, in Amman, Jordan on 25 July, 2017 [Salah Malkawi/Anadolu Agency]

People carry the dead body of Muhammad al-Jawawdah, who was killed by an Israeli bodyguard outside the Israeli Embassy on Sunday, in Amman, Jordan on 25 July, 2017 [Salah Malkawi/Anadolu Agency]

People carry the dead body of Muhammad Al-Jawawdah, who was killed by an Israeli bodyguard at Israeli Embassy’s building on Sunday, in Amman, Jordan on 25 July, 2017 [Salah Malkawi/Anadolu Agency]

People carry the dead body of Muhammad al-Jawawdah, who was killed by an Israeli bodyguard at the Israeli Embassy building in Amman, Jordan on 25 July, 2017 [Salah Malkawi/Anadolu Agency]

Responding to public anger that the security guard was able to leave Jordan, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the Israeli had been protected by diplomatic immunity, but he vowed to “get justice” for the victims of what he called a “criminal attack”.

Safadi denied any secret deal that allowed his departure.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for helping to bring the embassy staff home and also Jordan’s King Abdullah “for our close cooperation”.

Israeli media showed a smiling Netanyahu embracing the security guard after meeting him on Tuesday. He said his government had a “commitment to get you out, that was never a question”.

Read: Israel removes metal detectors from Al-Aqsa, replaces with cameras

“You represent the State of Israel and Israel doesn’t forget that for a moment,” Netanyahu added.

Israeli-Jordanian tensions have escalated since Israel installed metal detectors at entry points to Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem after two police guards were shot dead by gunmen there on 14 July.

Jordan’s peace accord with Israel, the second to be concluded with Israel by an Arab country after Egypt, is unpopular with many Jordanians, many of whom are of Palestinian origin.

The kingdom has seen an outpouring of public anger against Israel in recent days over the Al-Aqsa situation, with thousands of Jordanians demonstrating last Friday against Israel in protests in Amman and in cities and refugee camps across Jordan.