Jordan picks up regional diplomacy following Blinken, Bin Zayed visits
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to Jordan as a key partner and friend in his recent visit to Amman, yet the Hashemite kingdom is facing a new geopolitical reality making it’s diplomatic role in Mideast peace more challenging.
Jordan has been stepping up its regional diplomacy in last 48 hours after receiving both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Abu Dhabi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, in Amman.
The meetings follow the ceasefire announced last week to end the exchange between Israel and Hamas, and Blinken’s earlier stops in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo this this week.
Jordanians and their lawmakers came out strong on behalf of the Palestinians during the crisis, demanding that the government expel the Israeli ambassador and recall Jordan's envoy. But while the government promised to “study” the parliamentary memorandum urging these actions, nothing much happened.
There were however carefully picked words of denunciation and warnings from King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi throughout the crisis about Israel’s assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its efforts to evict residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
