Alwaght- King Abdullah II of Jordan is set to be the first Arab leader to meet the US President Joe Biden in Washington as the 59-year-old monarch is grappling with home and foreign crises.
Jordan, a close ally to Washington over the past 21 years of rule of king Abdullah, has had troubled relationship with the US under Biden predecessor Donald Trump and grew critical of the White House policies especially when it came to Palestine and was not afraid to express objection. However with shift in the power in the US, the monarch sounds upbeat about better relations with President Biden.
Continuation of the US financial aids
Jordan has been struggling with major economic problems in recent years. While its economy relies on foreign aids and tourism revenues, supports from the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies have slumped due to the economic crisis and travel and tourism revenues have experienced a major drop due to a coronavirus-devastated travel and tourism market. According to the World Bank data, the Jordanian economy shrank 1.6 percent as pandemic hit. More worrisome is the youths’ unemployment rate that in the third quarter of 2020 touched the 50 percent. Having in mind that some Jordanians were dismissed from work abroad, figures suggest that in 2019 and 2019 remittances sent by them dropped 10 percent. Massive borrowing increased the government debt to the GDP ratio to 110 percent, from 96 percent in 2019. This means that instead of investing in the economy, infrastructure projects, and public services, Amman should devote more of its budget to debt repayment. These conditions have had a negative impact on the living conditions of the people and have led to the occasional protests against the government.
In such tough conditions, the close US ally hopes to persuade Washington in talks with the American leaders to extend the five-year $6.4 aid package that is due to end next year.
Amid frustration with the Trump departure from focus on West Asia and concentration on China and also the Israeli-UAE normalization that risked reducing Jordan significance in the American policy and hence cutting financial aids to the Arab country, the US has recently transferred part of its important military facilities from Al-Udaid air base in Qatar to Jordan, restoring Amman hope that it remains a significant partner to the US regional policy.
The US is the biggest financial supporter of Jordan, giving it over $1. 5 billion every year— something putting Jordan among the main US aid receivers.
Bemoaning the failed coup attempt
King Abdullah's visit is his first visit to Washington since the failed April 4 coup. Last week, a court convicted the coup plotters Bassem Awadullah, a top aide to the king, and Prince Hussein Sharif, his half-brother, for charges related to power grab attempt and sentenced them to 15 years in prison. Interestingly, after announcing the arrest of the two men, Jordanian officials and social media activists, due to the two's Saudi citizenship and ties to Saudi Arabia and the very Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused Riyadh of intervention in the coup attempt. On the other hand, the fingers of blame were also pointed at Israel.
Whereas Biden had emphasized in his election campaign speeches that he would make democracy and human rights a priority in his foreign relations with US allies, in Jordan the free press is not allowed to operate and the political climate is completely restricted. And this is going to impact the king's efforts to draw Washington political support for the monarchy rule and condemn the coup.
Still, King Abdullah is hopeful to see his friendship with Biden to bear fruits. The two leaders know each other for years. Biden made many visits to Jordan when he was a congressman and member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Regional issues with Palestine at the center
The Jordanian monarch will certainly have on his Washington visit agenda the regional issues. One important issue would be Amman's concerns about the Palestinian developments. Biden administration says it will not give the embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) a review but looks forward to rebuilding relations with the Palestinians.
Moreover, while under Trump the "deal of the century” initiative drastically damaged Jordan's interests as well as Jordan's position on the Palestinian issue, King Abdullah expects Biden to publicly acknowledge the Amman's special role in governing Al-Quds and its sanctities and revive the role of Jordan as a major actor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Jordan established diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime in 1994 but is opposed to the recent Arab-Israeli normalization, arguing that its normalization with Tel Aviv came in special conditions not comparable to the current ones. A majority of the 10 million population of Jordan are Palestinian and hope for return to home. The return will be beneficial to Amman as it would help solve many social, economic, and political issues caused by the large Palestinian refugee population.
For the time being, the most central matter for Jordan is defusing the tensions in Al-Quds, where even Netanyahu departure from power as a hawkish leader could not halt the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. Backed by troops, radical Israeli settlers stormed holy Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, escalating the tensions in Al-Quds and other West Bank cities afresh.
