Tensions high in Amman as protesters gather at Israeli embassy after IDF shooting

Protest follows the shooting of Palestinian-born Jordanian judge by IDF troops near the border after he allegedly tried to snatch the soldier's weapon.

By YASSER OKBI
Jordanians protest death of man on Allenby crossing (photo credit: REUTERS)
Jordanians protest death of man on Allenby crossing
(photo credit: REUTERS)
 
Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Amman to protest the shooting of Jordanian judge Raed Alaa el-Deen Za'eiter by the IDF near the Allenby border crossing on Monday.
The protesters burned the Israeli flag and shouted "Expulsion of the ambassador is a national duty."
They also demanded the cancellation of the peace agreement and the release of Ahmed Daqamseh, who murdered seven Israeli schoolgirls in Naharayim in 1997.
Jordanian media sources reported that police tried to disperse the protesters using batons, and that three demonstrators have been arrested so far.
Za'eiter, 38, was a Palestinian-born Jordanian citizen who was on his way to meet with family members in the West Bank city of Shechem, when he was shot to death by an IDF soldier after allegedly attacking him.
An initial investigation indicated that he allegedly tried to assault the soldier by strangling him and trying to steal his weapon. Following security protocols carried out by the soldiers of the engineering battalion stationed in the area, he was shot dead.
The shooting was strongly condemned by the Jordanian parliament. Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told the Israeli ambassador that the kingdom expects the Israeli report to include precise details of the incident.