The drive from Ramallah to Amman takes many hours for ordinary Palestinians because of the Israeli border checkpoint on the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge. But for President Mahmoud Abbas the trip is just a 90-minute drive with a short stop at the Israeli side that usually takes minutes because of Abbas’ VIP status.

However, during the last 40 days, Abbas and his top aides have made the trip twice by way of helicopter belonging to the Jordanian army. It is not clear why this method of transportation was used. Is it because of the coronavirus pandemic, the security situation due to the unhappiness by some Palestinians with their president or simply because of Abbas' health? Whatever the reason, the visits have increased speculation about both the health and longevity of the 86-year-old Palestinian president.

A senior Palestinian source who accompanied the president outlined the issues that the Palestinian and Jordanian leaders discussed during their latest meeting Aug. 14 at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman. “The king briefed President Abbas on his recent trip to Washington and the president briefed the king on the meetings with US and Israeli officials. They also talked about the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting and they coordinated positions for the New York event,” the source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. The first visit also by helicopter took place June 30, just before the king departed for the United States.

There has been no talk about the succession issue despite the fact that there has been strong public discontentment from the actions of the Abbas government and public calls for his resignation.