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Jordan willing to escalate to get back its citizens detained by Israel

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv in protest against the ongoing administrative detention of two of its nationals, threatening to take further escalatory steps.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gestures during a joint news conference with German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Amman, Jordan, August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC1A8F383900
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gestures during a joint news conference with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Amman, Jordan, Aug. 19, 2019. — REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Israel has handed over two Jordanian nationals on Nov. 6, which it had held in administrative detention for months, ending a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. In what is seen as a triumph for Jordanian diplomacy, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced on Nov. 4 that the two Jordanians, Heba Labadi and Abdulrahman Meri, would be handed over to the kingdom before the end of the week. 

On the same day, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu confirmed that the two Jordanians would be released, adding, “Israel views the relationship between Jordan and Israel as a cornerstone of regional stability and will continue to act to ensure the region's security.”

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