BICOM

Israel has launched an investigation into last month’s shooting incident at the Israeli Embassy in Amman, Jordan.

The Justice Ministry announced last Friday that police would review the case, in which security guard Ziv Moyal shot and killed two Jordanian nationals after one of them reportedly attacked him, at the advice of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

The investigation will be supervised by the State Attorney’s Office, which will consider the option of asking Jordanian authorities to transfer additional materials to police.

Mandelblit ordered the police to “look into” the shooting, the Justice Ministry said in a statement, using terminology signifying a preliminary probe that could be upgraded into a criminal investigation if warranted.

Jordan’s attorney general last week announced that he intends to pursue murder charges in an international court, and hundreds of Jordanians protested outside the Israeli embassy in Amman on Friday calling for the closure of the embassy and the cancellation of the natural gas deal with Israel.

In response to the announcement of Israel’s investigation, Muhammad al-Momani, a Jordanian government spokesman, said: “We think this is step in the right direction. We expect a complete follow-up on the legal procedure in accordance with international law relevant to these cases. Justice must be served.”

The incident came as Jordan was engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations to end tensions surrounding security measures on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

After an initial enquiry by the Shin Bet was carried out with the Jordanian authorities, all Embassy staff including Zvi Moyal returned to Israel.

There has been widespread anger over the incident in Jordan, where a 1994 peace treaty with Israel is unpopular.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II is expected to arrive Monday in Ramallah, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The two leaders are expected to discuss the recent developments in an effort to restore calm.