Why the Pandora Papers may hurt King Abdullah most of all
Jordanians are living in desperate straits, depending on huge sums of foreign aid. So evidence of his high living isn’t going over well.
Jordanians are living in desperate straits, depending on huge sums of foreign aid. So evidence of his high living isn’t going over well.
It appears that Washington may be open to sending Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity to the economically strapped country via Syria.
But don’t expect a lot of pushback on settlements or a renewed push for two state solution. Right now this is about management.
He needs all the friends he can get, with restiveness in the palace and on the Jordanian street, and a greater power struggle in the Middle East.
Long-standing ties between the two countries frayed significantly under Trump.
With Palestinians accounting for more than 40 percent of Jordan’s population, maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem is key to ensuring regime survival.
A royal crisis exposes tensions over the Palestinian issue, and pressure to normalize relations with Israel.
The monarchy’s descent into worsening repression is in part because it’s an American client state awash with aid and arms.
Abdullah is trying to silence his half-brother Prince Hamzah, while the US is bent on supporting the anti-democratic regime.
In addition to economic benefits, the incoming Biden administration might help boost Jordan’s regional status.
King Abdullah II has warned the United States that he fears that annexation could cause significant conflict within Jordan, as well as between Jordan and Israel.
Israel appears to be moving full steam ahead on its plans to annex large portions of the West Bank seemingly without much consideration of the consequences.
Jordan’s reaction to Israel’s looming annexation of parts of the West Bank might redefine the kingdom’s relations with both Israel and the United States.
Trump’s plan for Middle East peace isn’t just a giveaway to the Israeli right-wing. It will also have negative impacts on U.S. regional partners.