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| Jordanian Judge Killed by Israeli Soldiers at Border Crossing | Jordanian Judge Killed by Israeli Soldiers at Border Crossing |
| (6 months later) | |
| JERUSALEM — Israeli soldiers on Monday fatally shot a Jordanian judge of Palestinian origin at the Allenby Bridge after the man tried to seize a soldier’s gun and then threatened two soldiers with a metal bar, according to the Israeli military. | |
| It was a rare instance of violence at the bridge, which links Jordan and the West Bank, and heightened tensions not only between Israel and the Palestinians but also between Israel and Jordan, a key player in the Middle East peace process. | It was a rare instance of violence at the bridge, which links Jordan and the West Bank, and heightened tensions not only between Israel and the Palestinians but also between Israel and Jordan, a key player in the Middle East peace process. |
| The Jordanian foreign minister summoned the ranking Israeli diplomat in Amman, Jordan’s capital, for a reprimand and strongly condemned the shooting, demanding to see the results of an Israeli investigation into the episode. The Palestinian Authority called for an international investigation. | The Jordanian foreign minister summoned the ranking Israeli diplomat in Amman, Jordan’s capital, for a reprimand and strongly condemned the shooting, demanding to see the results of an Israeli investigation into the episode. The Palestinian Authority called for an international investigation. |
| The Jordanian Ministry of Justice identified the man as Raed Zeiter, 38, a judge in the magistrates court in Amman who had moved to Jordan from the West Bank city of Nablus in 2011. | The Jordanian Ministry of Justice identified the man as Raed Zeiter, 38, a judge in the magistrates court in Amman who had moved to Jordan from the West Bank city of Nablus in 2011. |
| Col. Yaron Beit-On, who oversees Israeli forces in the Jordan Valley, told reporters that Mr. Zeiter came into the West Bank from Jordan on a bus carrying 30 people around 9:30 a.m. After soldiers completed a routine check of the bus, Colonel Beit-On said, Mr. Zeiter tried to grab one of their guns, and he succeeded in getting a four-foot metal bar with a mirror at one end that the soldiers use to check the underside of vehicles at the crossing. | Col. Yaron Beit-On, who oversees Israeli forces in the Jordan Valley, told reporters that Mr. Zeiter came into the West Bank from Jordan on a bus carrying 30 people around 9:30 a.m. After soldiers completed a routine check of the bus, Colonel Beit-On said, Mr. Zeiter tried to grab one of their guns, and he succeeded in getting a four-foot metal bar with a mirror at one end that the soldiers use to check the underside of vehicles at the crossing. |
| “He shouted, ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,’ ” or “God is great,” Colonel Beit-On said. “When the soldiers understood they had no way to handle him, they used a gun and they shot him. They were in danger.” | “He shouted, ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,’ ” or “God is great,” Colonel Beit-On said. “When the soldiers understood they had no way to handle him, they used a gun and they shot him. They were in danger.” |
| He added that Mr. Zeiter was shot first in the leg and then again, but he did not yet know how many times. | He added that Mr. Zeiter was shot first in the leg and then again, but he did not yet know how many times. |
| Palestinian and Jordanian officials questioned the Israeli account, but Colonel Beit-On said it was based on interviews with witnesses, including the Jordanian bus driver. | Palestinian and Jordanian officials questioned the Israeli account, but Colonel Beit-On said it was based on interviews with witnesses, including the Jordanian bus driver. |
| Colonel Beit-On said that Israel had no record of political activity by or arrests of Mr. Zeiter while he lived in the West Bank. He said that Mr. Zeiter, a father of two, had been traveling alone with two suitcases, and that relatives had said that his 5-year-old son was in critical condition in a Jordanian hospital after being hurt in a recent accident. | Colonel Beit-On said that Israel had no record of political activity by or arrests of Mr. Zeiter while he lived in the West Bank. He said that Mr. Zeiter, a father of two, had been traveling alone with two suitcases, and that relatives had said that his 5-year-old son was in critical condition in a Jordanian hospital after being hurt in a recent accident. |
| Mr. Zeiter’s father, Alaa, 70, himself a retired judge, told Agence France-Presse that he was shocked by what happened and had not been aware that his son was traveling to the West Bank. “My son is peaceful and professional,” he said, according to the news agency. | Mr. Zeiter’s father, Alaa, 70, himself a retired judge, told Agence France-Presse that he was shocked by what happened and had not been aware that his son was traveling to the West Bank. “My son is peaceful and professional,” he said, according to the news agency. |
| The Allenby Bridge is the main point of exit for Palestinians who live in the West Bank, and it is jointly controlled by Israel and Jordan. It was closed for several hours after the shooting. | The Allenby Bridge is the main point of exit for Palestinians who live in the West Bank, and it is jointly controlled by Israel and Jordan. It was closed for several hours after the shooting. |
| “We cannot remember what was the last time such an incident occurred,” said Gilad Noll, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Amman, outside of which anti-Israeli protests broke out later Monday, The Associated Press reported. “As far as we know, the attacker didn’t really leave the soldier any other option. The Israeli side has no reason for inflaming up the entire region by this type of incident.” | “We cannot remember what was the last time such an incident occurred,” said Gilad Noll, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Amman, outside of which anti-Israeli protests broke out later Monday, The Associated Press reported. “As far as we know, the attacker didn’t really leave the soldier any other option. The Israeli side has no reason for inflaming up the entire region by this type of incident.” |
| Later Monday in a separate episode, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli Army fire in the West Bank. A military spokeswoman said that Palestinians were hurling rocks at Israeli civilian vehicles on the road to the Jewish settlement of Beit El, and that Israeli soldiers opened fire. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the dead man as Saji Sayel Darwish, 20. | Later Monday in a separate episode, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli Army fire in the West Bank. A military spokeswoman said that Palestinians were hurling rocks at Israeli civilian vehicles on the road to the Jewish settlement of Beit El, and that Israeli soldiers opened fire. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the dead man as Saji Sayel Darwish, 20. |