Israel evacuates its Jordanian embassy ahead of 'million-man march' against peace treaty

JERUSALEM — Nearly all the staff have been cleared out of the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital ahead of an anti-Israel protest in Amman on Thursday, for fear the mission could be attacked like the Israeli embassy in Cairo was last week, Israeli newspapers and radio stations reported.

A convoy transporting the Israeli diplomats left Jordan for Israel overnight, the Haaretz newspaper said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry wouldn't comment on the reports, other than to say that embassy personnel generally leave Jordan on Thursdays ahead of the Muslim weekend. It said a duty representative remained on call in Amman, as is routine procedure.

Activists in Jordan have called for a "million-man march" against the Israeli mission, part of a rising tide of anti-Israel protests there and in Egypt, the two Arab countries that have made peace with the Jewish state.

The Jordanian protesters – led by leftists, labor unions and Islamists – are expected to start gathering near the embassy by 1400 GMT. Their demands include the embassy's closure, expulsion of the ambassador from Jordan and the annulment of the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. more

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