Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it is poised to reopen its embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman, following a six-month closure.
The Israeli mission to Jordan left the country last July, and the Israeli embassy in Amman has remained shuttered ever since.
The diplomatic dustup was initiated by the stabbing of an Israeli security official in his residence adjacent to the embassy.
During the July 23rd incident, an Israeli security officer assigned to the embassy was stabbed by a Jordanian national, who was moving furniture into the officer’s residence.
After being stabbed, the officer drew his sidearm and opened fire, killing the assailant as well as a second Jordanian man present in the residence who was hit by stray gunfire. The second man was identified as the owner of the property, a doctor with a history of supporting Israel.
While Jordan initially refused to permit the wounded embassy officer to return to Israel, demanding he be turned over to Amman police, the Hashemite kingdom later agreed to Israel’s request that he be allowed back for treatment.
Following the incident, Jordan refused to accept the return of Israeli Ambassador Einat Schlein or any other member of the Israeli mission until Israel agreed to prosecute the security officer, replace Ambassador Schlein, apologize for the incident, and offer compensation.
In November, an Israeli diplomat said that Jerusalem was willing to replace Schlein in an effort to placate Jordan.
Earlier this month, an Israeli government spokesman confirmed that Israel had issued an apology to Jordan for the shooting.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon announced that Israel would soon be reopening its embassy in Amman, but did not offer details. Nahshon added that the Amman embassy would by ‘gradually reopened’.
A Jordanian government official told AFP that an "Israeli technical team is in constant contact with the Jordanian foreign ministry... in preparation for the return of the Israeli embassy staff to Amman," but declined to specify the date of the reopening.