Jordan’s king visits abroad amid regional challenges

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday began a tour of Egypt, Algeria and Italy amid regional challenges related mainly to regional security and the economic situation, especially after the Russian war on Ukraine and the rise of a right-wing Israeli government.

“During his working visit to Egypt, HM the King will hold talks with President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi,” the Royal Court said in a statement, adding that the Jordanian monarch will head from Cairo to Algiers, where he will start a state visit at the invitation of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

“The king will hold talks with President Tebboune as well as with senior Algerian officials,” he added.

In Rome, the king will hold talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the source said.

The Jordanian statement did not specify the duration of King Abdullah’s tour or the dates of his meetings and discussions with the three heads of state.

There is no doubt that the issue of the rise of the Israeli right wing will be on the agenda of the Jordanian king with the Egyptian and Algerian presidents, in addition to other economic and other issues related to the Iranian threats in the region and the need to protect Arab national security.

In previous meetings, the Egyptian and Jordanian sides stressed the importance of settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “on the basis of a two-state solution.”

Jordan vehemently opposed the U.S. peace plan, or the so-called Century Deal, promoted by former U.S. president Donald Trump and backed by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan grants Israeli sovereignty over most settlements in the West Bank and Jordan Valley, and considers Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided capital.”

It talks about a Palestinian state with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem, but says the Palestinian leadership must recognize Israel as a state for the Jews and agree to a demilitarized state.

Although the current US president, Joe Biden, is not enthusiastic about the plan, Netanyahu’s return to the presidency of a predominantly right-wing government worries the Jordanian side.

It is expected that King Abdullah will raise the issue of Palestinian reconciliation, which Algeria focused on during the last Arab summit meeting in Tebboune, where observers believe that Jordan is in turn looking to unify the Palestinian ranks and strengthen the internal front in the face of great challenges imposed by the formation of a right-wing Israeli government whose main goal is to support settlements. A number of its extremist officials threatened to expel the Arabs.

Observers believe that the King of Jordan’s visit to Algeria after his visit to Egypt is aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, especially since Amman has been greatly affected by the global energy crisis and the rise in oil and gas prices.

Jordan is struggling economically due to the fallout from the Russian war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a negative impact on the economic situation in a country with few resources.

Officials say that Jordan’s economic troubles increased with the suspension of Gulf grants and the lack of additional funding from Western donors in the past few years to address slow growth and high unemployment.