JERUSALEM >> A deadly shooting at Israel’s Embassy in Jordan further complicated Israeli government efforts on Monday to find a way out of an escalating crisis over Jerusalem’s most contested holy site, including mass Muslim prayer protests and Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The shooting, in which an Israeli security guard killed two Jordanians after being attacked by one of them with a screwdriver, has led to a diplomatic standoff between the two countries at a time when Jordan is heavily involved in efforts to defuse the crisis over the Jerusalem holy site. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the shrine, which is also holy to Jews.

Jordanian officials said Monday that the guard could only leave if he first submitted to questioning, according to a news site linked to Jordan’s military. Israel insisted the guard has diplomatic immunity.

The drama played out as President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Jason Greenblatt, headed to the Holy Land on Monday. It was the first sign of a high-level, on-the-ground attempt by the Trump administration to end the standoff between Israel and the Muslim world.

The escalation began earlier this month when Arab gunmen fired from the holy site, killing two Israeli policemen. In response, Israel installed metal detectors at the site, a move that incensed the Muslim world.

The shooting at Israel’s embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman could further inflame Jordanian public opinion against Israel.

The Amman shooting took place on Sunday evening in a residential building used by the embassy staff.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the incident began when two Jordanian workmen arrived at the building to replace furniture. It said one of the workers, later identified as a 17-year-old of Palestinian origin, attacked an Israeli security guard with a screwdriver.

The guard opened fire, killing the teen. A second Jordanian, the owner of the building who was also a physician, was hit by gunfire and later died of his wounds. The guard was lightly hurt, the ministry said.

The Jordanian news site Hala Akhbar, which is linked to the kingdom’s military, quoted diplomatic and security officials as saying that Jordan refused to let the guard leave without an investigation.

The website quoted the officials as saying that Jordan might take “diplomatic measures” if Israel refuses to meet the demand.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not refer to Jordanian demands, but said the guard enjoys diplomatic immunity under international conventions.

An Israeli government official said talks were under way whether to evacuate the embassy staff, given the tensions in Jordan.

He said either all or none of the staff would be evacuated, and that the security guard would not be left behind. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomatic efforts underway to defuse the situation.

The father of the teen killed in the shooting said Monday that he demands justice. Zakariah al-Jawawdeh told The Associated Press that his son Mohammed is a “son of Jordan who was shot on Jordanian soil” and it would be unacceptable for the government not to investigate the incident.

Israel’s security Cabinet met from late Sunday until the early hours of Monday to discuss the crisis at the shrine and the embassy shooting, and was to convene again Monday afternoon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone to Israel’s ambassador in Jordan, Eynat Schleyn, and to the security guard.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace deal in 1994, but the agreement remains deeply unpopular in the kingdom where many residents are of Palestinian origin. Jordan and Israel have close security ties, but frequently clash over Israeli policies at the Jerusalem shrine.

Jordan’s ruling Hashemite dynasty, said to trace its ancestry to the Prophet Muhammad, draws much of its legitimacy from its role as protector of the shrine.

Meanwhile, the security Cabinet reached no decision after a six-hour meeting on how to defuse the crisis over the Jerusalem shrine, Israeli media said. The ministers were reportedly reviewing the initial decision on installing the metal detectors and weighing possible alternatives.

Israel has said the metal detectors were a needed security measure to prevent future attacks. However, the government is facing growing domestic criticism, with some commentators saying it did not fully weigh all the repercussions of introducing new measures at the most volatile spot of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Muslim religious leaders have alleged that Israel is trying to expand its control at the site under the guise of security — a claim Israel denies. The tensions have led to mass prayer protests and deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Ikrema Sabri, a senior Muslim cleric, said Monday that Jerusalem’s police chief, Yoram Halevi, met a day earlier with a lawyer representing the Muslim leadership to discuss solutions to the crisis.

Sabri said newly installed security cameras, described in media reports as a possible alternative to the metal detectors, were discussed.

He said the lawyer was to brief the Muslim leadership later Monday on Israel’s responses.

The 37-acre walled compound is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is also the holiest site of Judaism, revered as the place where biblical Temples once stood.

Laub reported from Jericho, West Bank. Associated Press Writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. </s> JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The staff of Israel's embassy to Jordan, including a security guard involved in a shooting incident in which two Jordanians were killed, returned to Israel from Amman on Monday, an official from the Israeli prime minister's Office said.

Sunday's fatal shooting incident tested already tense relations between Israel and Jordan, one of two Arab states with which it has peace treaties. Jordan wanted to question the guard, who was slightly hurt, but Israel said he had diplomatic immunity and should be repatriated. </s> 25 July, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that an Israeli security guard who shot dead two Jordanians after being stabbed outside Israel’s embassy in Jordan will be brought home to Israel.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu said he called the guard over the phone and promised him that Israel “has experience in dealing with such situation” and would “bring him home.”

The guard opened fire after he was stabbed with a screwdriver outside the Israeli embassy in Amman on Sunday night.

Local media reported that Jordanian authorities refuse to allow the guard to leave the country before he is investigated. The father of the stabber said he demands justice for his son’s death.

Some 30 Israeli workers are still inside the embassy, according to Israeli media reports.

At noon, “a senior military official” was en route to Amman to help solve the diplomatic crisis, reports said.

 The incident further complicated efforts to resolve a spiraling crisis over Al-Aqsa mosque compound, East Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Xinhua </s> JERUSALEM — After days of violent protests, bloodshed and a diplomatic crisis with Jordan over the placement of metal detectors at the entrances to the Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Israeli government said early Tuesday it would remove them.

The turnabout came after a day of intense discussions between leaders of Israel and Jordan, the custodian of the shrine, and with American mediation. It also occurred hours after the end of a standoff prompted by a confrontation at the Israeli Embassy in Amman, Jordan, that led to the deaths of two Jordanians.

The first indication of a deal came on Monday night, with the arrival of the embassy staff back in Israel. The Israeli ambassador to Jordan, Einat Shlain, and the staff, including a security guard at the center of the fray, returned home soon after a telephone call between King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Israel said the guard had opened fire in self-defense after being stabbed and had diplomatic immunity. Jordan had wanted to question him and initially barred him from leaving the country. </s> Israel on Monday said an Israeli security guard at its embassy compound in the Jordanian capital, Amman, shot and killed two Jordanians after one attacked the guard with a screwdriver, an incident likely to widen a diplomatic rift between the two key U.S. allies. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Foreign Ministry has provided its first details of a shooting at Israel’s embassy in Jordan, saying a security guard shot and killed two Jordanians in a confrontation.

The shooting took place Sunday evening in a residential building used by embassy staff.

The ministry says two Jordanian workmen entered the building to replace furniture. One of the workers attacked an Israeli guard with a screwdriver. Israeli media say the guard opened fire, killing the 17-year-old Jordanian. The reports say the Jordanian owner of the apartment was hit by gunfire inadvertently and later died.

The media reports say Jordan demands to conduct an investigation, and that embassy staff remain inside the embassy.

The Israeli statement said that according to international conventions, the guard has legal immunity. </s> A top aide to US President Donald Trump was due in Israel Monday in a bid to ease tensions over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site after a weekend of deadly violence.

Jason Greenblatt's visit comes after more than a week of tensions over the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel installed metal detectors at entrances to the site, which includes Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, following an attack on July 14 that killed two policemen.

Palestinians view the move as Israel asserting further control over the site. They have refused to enter the compound in protest and have prayed in the streets outside.

Israeli authorities say the metal detectors are needed because the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the site and emerged from it to shoot the officers.

Clashes have broken out during protests over the measures, leaving five Palestinians dead.

On Friday, a Palestinian broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and stabbed three Israelis to death.

An incident on Sunday night in Amman that, according to Israeli officials, saw a Jordanian attack an Israeli security guard with a screwdriver at the Israeli embassy compound raised further concerns, though it was not immediately clear if there was any link.

The security guard was said to have shot dead the Jordanian, while a second Jordanian there at the time was also killed.

Separately on Monday, Israeli tank fire struck a Hamas post in the Gaza Strip after what was believed to be a rocket from the enclave landed in an open area in Israel.

With fears further unrest could follow, Greenblatt "departed for Israel last night to support efforts to reduce tensions in the region," a US official said on condition of anonymity.

The UN Security Council will also hold closed-door talks Monday about the spiralling violence after Egypt, France and Sweden sought a meeting to "urgently discuss how calls for de-escalation in Jerusalem can be supported".

Israeli officials have signalled they may be open to changing the measures at the holy site. Cameras have been installed at entrances in a possible indication of an alternative to the metal detectors.

"Since the start of the events, I have held a series of assessments with security elements including those in the field," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

"We are receiving from them an up-to-date picture of the situation, as well as recommendations for action, and we will decide accordingly."

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit on Sunday accused Israel of "playing with fire" with the new security measures, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called them an insult to the Muslim world.

Pope Francis said he was following events with concern and urged dialogue and moderation.

Friday's main weekly Muslim prayers -- which typically draw thousands to Al-Aqsa -- brought the situation to a boil.

In anticipation of protests, Israel barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for prayers.

Clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinians around the Old City, in other parts of annexed east Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank, leaving three Palestinians dead.

They continued on Saturday, leaving two more Palestinians dead, including one when a petrol bomb exploded prematurely. More scuffles broke out around Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday night.

Friday evening also saw a Palestinian break into a home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank during a Sabbath dinner and stab four Israelis, killing three.

The Israeli army said the 19-year-old Palestinian had spoken in a Facebook post of the holy site and of dying as a martyr.

The holy site in Jerusalem has served as a rallying cry for Palestinians.

In 2000, then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit to the compound helped ignite the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which lasted more than four years.

It is in east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

Considered the third holiest site in Islam, it is the most sacred for Jews. </s> AMMAN, Jordan — Two Jordanians were killed and an Israeli was wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building at the Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital, the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said.

Israeli media reported Monday that an Israeli security guard opened fire after a Jordanian worker attacked him with a screwdriver. The worker and the Jordanian owner of the building were wounded and later died, the reports said.

Jordan’s security agency confirmed that Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work.

The statement said the building was in the Israeli embassy compound, but the Israeli media reports indicated that the building was not part of the compound.

The Jordanian security agency did not say what triggered the shooting.

Three people were initially wounded, the security agency said. Two Jordanians later died, according to the agency and the news site Hala Akhbar, which is linked to the Jordanian military.

One of the Jordanians killed was a physician at the scene, the security agency said.

The Israeli was in “unstable” condition, the news site said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment.

The incident comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Muslim world over metal detectors Israel installed at a Jerusalem shrine revered by Muslims and Jews.

Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians staged an anti-Israeli protest in Amman. </s> Two Jordanians were killed and an Israeli was wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building at the Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital, the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said. Israeli media reported Monday that an Israeli security guard opened fire after a Jordanian worker attacked him with a screwdriver. The worker and the Jordanian owner of the building were wounded and later died, the reports said.

Jordan’s security agency confirmed that Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work. The statement said the building was in the Israeli embassy compound, but the Israeli media reports indicated that the building was not part of the compound. The Jordanian security agency did not say what triggered the shooting.

Three people were initially wounded, the security agency said. Two Jordanians later died, according to the agency and the news site Hala Akhbar, which is linked to the Jordanian military. One of the Jordanians killed was a physician at the scene, the security agency said.

The Israeli was in “unstable” condition, the news site said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment.

The incident comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Muslim world over metal detectors Israel installed at a Jerusalem shrine revered by Muslims and Jews. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians staged an anti-Israeli protest in Amman.

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Israel's embassy staff in Jordan, including a security guard involved in a shooting incident in which two Jordanians were killed yesterday, return to Israel from Amman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah for their help and cooperation.