In another sign of improving ties between Jerusalem and Amman after a months-long crisis, Jordan has accepted Israel’s choice for a new ambassador to the kingdom.
By: AP and United with Israel Staff
Jordan has accepted Israel’s choice for a new ambassador to the kingdom, another sign of improving ties after a months-long crisis.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Momani said 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 most tense 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, saying one had attacked him with a screwdriver. The Israeli guard and Israel’s then-ambassador were given a hero’s welcome home by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, infuriating Jordan.
Earlier this year, the two sides said they have found a way to overcome the crisis, including the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, which resolved the territorial disputes between the countries and included water-sharing agreements. They signed a trade treaty in 1996, and economic ties since then have developed and grown. In 2014, Israel and Jordan signed a $500 million natural gas deal, effective for 15 years.
Israel’s security and intelligence ties with Jordan are more discreet, but have likewise strengthened and developed, especially since the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Relations have also hit some rocky spots in recent years. Moreover, the Jordanian people, including a Palestinian majority, mostly oppose the peace treaty and reject any form of normalization with Israel