Jordan: Shots Near Israel Embassy – An Armed Dead · Global Voices

Alarm signaled dawn at near his embassy, when an armed man opened fire against uniforms and followed a shootout. The shooter was shot dead. Two eyewitnesses told the Reuters news agency that police patrols and ambulances rushed to the Al Rambia district of Jordan’s capital, where Israel’s embassy building is located after sporadic fire was heard. Authorities blocked the area and appealed to residents to stay in their homes until the police operation was completed. The Al Arabiya network broadcasts that an armed man opened fire on the men of the security forces who were patrolling the Israeli embassy, injuring three of them. The perpetrator was surrounded and dropped dead during the firefight that followed, according to the same source. Although security measures around the Israeli embassy in Amman are draconian, there are often demonstrations in the region – especially after the start of the Gaza Strip war. Several of Jordan’s 12 million inhabitants are of Palestinian origin – either themselves or their parents had been expelled or fled to the kingdom during the conflicts that accompanied the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Many have relatives across the Jordan River. The peace treaty between Jordan and Israel is criticized by a large portion of the population, which considers that normalisation of relations amounts to betrayal of the Palestinian struggle.