Jordan king visits family of 'martyr' judge killed by Israel

AMMAN (AFP) - King Abdullah II on Sunday visited the family of a Jordanian judge killed by Israeli soldiers to offer his condolences, the palace said on Twitter.

A picture on Twitter showed the king hugging the father of 38-year-old Raed Zeiter.

"His majesty King Abdullah II offers condolences to the family of martyr judge Raed Zeiter," reads the caption.

Israeli troops shot Mr Zeiter, a Palestinian Jordanian, at a border crossing last Monday, saying he attacked them, igniting a diplomatic row between Israel and the kingdom and causing furore among Jordanians.

Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur has held Israel "completely responsible" for Mr Zeiter's death and demanded an apology for the "hideous" killing.

And MPs have demanded the government expel the Israeli ambassador and release Jordanian soldier Ahmad Dakamseh, who was is serving a life sentence after he opened fire on a group of Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, killing seven.

Opposition Islamists and other political parties have demanded a 1994 peace deal between Jordan and Israel be annulled.

Israel has expressed regret for the shooting but stopped short of apologising to Jordan, which is the only Arab country besides Egypt to have made peace with the Jewish state.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.