Jordan: new Israeli ambassador presents credentials

The new Israeli ambassador to Jordan, Eitan Surkis, has presented his credentials to King Abdullah II at the Basman Palace in the capital Amman, said the Royal Court.

Surkis joined the new envoys from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Hungary in yesterday’s ceremony. Non-resident ambassadors from Angola and Portugal were also in attendance.

Appointed as an Israeli ambassador last year, Surkis worked previously as the special envoy for water affairs in the Middle East Department. He has prior experience working as a diplomat at the embassy in Amman and as Consul-General in Brazil.

His predecessor Amir Weissbrod was appointed in 2018 after ties between the two countries reached a low point following the fatal shooting of two Jordanians by an Israeli security guard at the Amman embassy compound. The guard claimed to have acted in self-defence after one of the men stabbed him.

In May, Weissbrod was summoned by Jordan’s Foreign Ministry in protest over Israel’s detention of two Jordanian citizens for allegedly crossing the border armed with knives.

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