Israel expressed protest over statements made by Jordan's Justice Minister Hussein Mjali who praised a soldier who murdered seven Israeli girls in 1997 during a protest for his release on Monday. The Jordanian embassy's director was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand. Mjali previously served as Corp. Ahmed Daqamseh's attorney.

The minister said that Israel would have built a monument if a Jew had been murdered by Arabs and expressed his support of the protestors calling for Daqamseh's release. "He's a hero, he doesn’t deserve being imprisoned," he told protestors.

Yaakov Hadas, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry told the Jordanian representative that Israel is shocked and rejects the justice minister's comments. He noted that Israel expects the Jordanian government to categorically condemn the minister's statements immediately.

"We demand the Jordanian government clarify that it rejects all calls to release the loathsome murderer and that he will keep on serving his sentence," the Jordanian envoy was told. Israel's Ambassador to Amman Daniel Nevo also protested the matter among senior ranks in the country.