Jordan tightens security around Israeli embassy ahead of protest

The Jordanian authorities on Thursday heightened security around the Israeli embassy in Amman ahead of a planned huge demonstration by Islamic and pan-Arab activists to press for the closure of the diplomatic mission,DPA reported.

Opposition and activist leaders, meanwhile, said they would go ahead with preparations for the demonstration later Thursday despite a decision by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to evacuate the Israeli embassy in Amman should the protest turn violent, as happened at the diplomatic mission in Cairo last week.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu has ordered the departure of the mission's diplomats and other staff by the weekend.

"The grudge against Israel is rapidly building up in the country because of its crimes in Palestine and elsewhere," said Hamzeh Mansour, Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the country's main opposition party.

"The Jordanian people is against the establishment of normal ties with this enemy," he told German Press Agency dpa.

The Jordanian government concluded a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1994 that ended five decades of belligerency.

Responding to Israel's decision to evacuate the embassy in Amman, Mansour said "The Zionist enemy is feeling further isolation as a result of the Arab Spring."

"It also feels that its existence is no longer safe and stable, particularly after what happened in Cairo last week," he added.

Israel evacuated its embassy in Cairo after protesters stormed the building housing the Israeli diplomatic mission.