Israel Embassy crisis in Jordan resolved
Metal detectors also removed at shrine to ease tension.
Israel and Jordan resolved a diplomatic standoff late Monday after a day of high-level negoti- ations that ended with the evacuation of Israeli Embassy staff from their base in Jordan to Israel.
The crisis had been trig- gered by a shooting Sunday in which an Israeli embassy guard killed two Jordanians after one attacked him with a screwdriver. Jordan initially said the guard could only leave after an investigation, while Israel said he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
The crisis was resolved after a phone call late Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Net- anyahu and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Meanwhile, Israel began removing metal detectors from entrances to a major Jerusalem shrine early today to defuse a crisis over the site that angered the Muslim world and triggered some of the worst Israeli-Palestinian clashes in years.
The Israeli security Cabinet had met for a second straight day Monday to find an alternative to the metal detec- tors, which were installed following a deadly Palestin- ian attack at the holy site.
Associated Press photos showed a worker disman- tling one of the devices at Lions Gate before 2 a.m.
Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site, which is also holy to Jews.
On Monday evening, the Israeli security Cabinet met for a second straight day to try to find an alternative to metal detectors that had been installed a week earlier at the shrine amid widespread Muslim protests. Ministers were asked to consider the installation of sophisticated, high-resolution cameras and increased police deployments as a replacement for the metal detectors, Israeli media said. The cameras would be installed in Jerusalem’s Old City where the shrine is located.
Media reports said an emerging deal could see the embassy security guard released in exchange for the removal of the metal detectors.
The 37-acre walled compound in Jerusalem is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
It is also the holiest site of Judaism, revered as the place where biblical Temples once stood.
Netanyahu and Jordan’s king discussed the shrine in their phone call, Jordan’s state news agency Petra said.
The king stressed t he need to “remove the measures taken by the Israeli side since the recent crisis broke out” and to agree on steps that would prevent another escalation in the future, Petra said.
Earlier, the head of Israel’s domestic Shin Bet security agency had met with officials in Jordan to resolve the crisis, the worst between the two countries in recent years. Jordan and Israel have a peace agreement and share security interests, but frequently disagree over policies at the shrine.
Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli-Jordanian contacts were conducted in an atmosphere of cooperation. It said there was no Jordan proposal to trade the security guard for a removal of the metal detectors.