Jordan delays return of ambassador to Israel after synagogue attack

Adnan Abu Uda, the King's previous chief of office, says attack on synagogue was "natural reaction," and of no connection to Jordan.

By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA
Jordan's recalled ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat (photo credit: screenshot)
Jordan's recalled ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat
(photo credit: screenshot)
Following Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem, officials in Jordan said Amman will delay the return of its ambassador Walid Obeidat to Israel.
An official source told the Jordanian daily Al Ghad that originally, the plan was to return Obeidat to his post before the end of the month should quiet on the Temple Mount be maintained. Yet following recent developments, Jordanian officials decided to wait further, before any moves are made.
Official’s were worried about “settlers flocking to the Al-Aksa compound” in reaction to Tuesday’s attack, “a situation which would greatly embarrass Jordan, since that is where a red line is drawn.”
Further addressing Tuesday’s attack on a Jerusalem synagogue, officials said the incident was of no concern to Jordan.
Adnan Abu Uda, King Abdullah’s previous chief of staff, supported this point, saying that “Jordan has no connection to the terror attack.” He compared the assault on the synagogue to incidents where “the Israelis harmed holy sites,” citing the death of 29 Palestinians in the 1994 massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Uda denied claims that withholding the ambassador from his position as a result of Tuesday’s attack would embarrass Jordan, explaining that “it is Jerusalem and it’s holy sites that are of utmost importance to Jordan, and not yesterday’s incident, which is tied to the Palestinian Authority.”
He held Israel responsible for Tuesday’s attack, blaming Israelis for the death of a Palestinian bus driver on Monday and referencing it as incitement for the attack on the synagogue, a “natural reaction to settlers and the occupation.”