Israel appoints new ambassador to Jordan

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday appointed Amir Weissbrod, a career diplomat, as the country’s new ambassador to Jordan.

In a statement, ministry spokesman Emanuel Nakhshon said Weissbrod’s appointment still required confirmation by the Israeli cabinet.

A fluent Arabic speaker, Weissbrod served as first secretary at Israel’s embassy in Amman from 2001 to 2004.

Nakhshon did not provide a date as to when the new ambassador -- if confirmed -- would present his diplomatic credentials to the Jordanian authorities.

Israel’s embassy in Amman reopened recently after having been closed in July of last year when two Jordanians were killed by an Israeli security guard in an apartment belonging to the embassy.

Last month, however, Israel agreed to pay compensation to the victims’ families and prosecute the security guard, thus paving the way for the embassy’s reopening.

Following the killings, Jordan had also asked Israel to replace its then ambassador in Amman, Einat Schlein.