Israel Evacuates Jordan Embassy After Protest Threat

Israel evacuated its embassy in Amman, Jordan, late on Wednesday night, after calls by Jordanian activists for a ‘million man march’ near the embassy building.

The Foreign Ministry decided not take a chance that the protests might escalate to a violent riot, such as the one in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo last week, and made a decision to evacuate the embassy. According to reports in the Israeli media, it was decided to bring the embassy staff back to Israel and a convoy of Israeli diplomats crossed the Allenby Bridge at around midnight local time.

Earlier it was reported that Jordanian protesters are planning a million man march on Thursday.

During the march, which will be entitled “Jordan Will Help Free Palestine,” the protesters are expected to demand that the Israeli Embassy in Amman be shut down.

The call to protest against the Israeli Embassy was made by Jordanian activists but was welcomed among many political parties in Jordan that were quick to announce they would take part in the mass demonstration.

Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, has already tightened security around the Israeli Embassy in Amman following the events in Cairo last week, when angry protesters nearly lynched six security guards, who were rescued at the last moment by Egyptian commandos and airlifted back to Israel.