Amir Weissbrod
Foreign Ministry selects new ambassador to Jordan
Amir Weissbrod, who has served as spokesman of the Israeli Embassy in Amman, will replace Einat Schlein following the July 2017 shooting incident which led to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
The Foreign Minister's appointments committee, led by Director-General Yuval Rotem, selected Amir Weissbrod as Israel's next ambassador to Jordan on Thursday. Ronen Gil was named as the Israeli ambassador to Myanmar. Both appointments are pending approval by the government.
Weissbrod currently serves as head of the Middle East Bureau at the Foreign Ministry's Center for Political Research. He is fluent in Arabic, has extensive knowledge of Middle East affairs and has served in Jordan in the past, including as the Israeli Embassy spokesman.
He has also served in Morocco and as a diplomatic advisor to the Israeli delegation to the UN.
Amir Weissbrod is fluent in Arabic and has extensive knowledge of Middle East affairs
The decision was made following the recent diplomatic crisis between Israel and Jordan after an Israeli security guard shot two Jordanian citizens to death at the Israeli Embassy compound in Amman last July. Jordan demanded that Israel dismiss Ambassador Einat Schlein and prosecute security guard Ziv Moyal.
In its meeting Thursday, the appointments committee reiterated the Foreign Ministry's personal and professional commitment to ensure that Schlein's contribution is properly reflected in her next position.
The Israeli compensation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed two weeks ago that Israel had agreed to pay compensation to the Jordanian government, which would reportedly be handed over to the families of the civilians killed in the shooting incident, as well as to the family of Jordanian judge Raed Zeiter who was shot to death at the Allenby Crossing in March 2014.
Netanyahu stressed, however, that Israel had expressed its remorse and willingness to pay the compensation to the government only—and not to the families. Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad reported that Israel had paid $5 million in compensation.
Amir Weissbrod is remembered for a speech he delivered at a special United Nations session in 2009 on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, in which he shared his personal story as the father of an autistic child who was 13 years old at the time.
