Jordan accepts Israel’s pick of ambassador as ties improve

The Israeli embassy in Amman. Israel nominated a new ambassador to Jordan, seven months after its embassy staff returned to Israel following an incident in which an Israeli embassy guard killed two Jordanian citizens. (File Photo: AFP)

AMMAN: Jordan has accepted Israel’s choice of a new ambassador for the kingdom, another sign of improving ties after a months-long crisis.
Government spokesman Mohammed Momani said on Thursday that the envoy, Amir Weissbrod, “can start his mission any time now.”
The posting of a new Israeli ambassador would end one of the tensest episodes since the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1994.
It began last summer when a security guard at the Israeli embassy in Jordan shot and killed two Jordanians, alleging one attacked him with a screw driver. The Israeli guard and Israel’s then-ambassador were given a hero’s welcome by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, infuriating Jordan.
Earlier this year, the two sides said they found a way to overcome the crisis, including appointing a new Israeli ambassador.