King of Jordan, first Arab leader received by Joe Biden
This is the culmination of a three-week visit to the United States: King Abdullah of Jordan is received this Monday by Joe Biden.
REUTERS / Gary Cameron
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This is the culmination of a three-week visit to the United States: King Abdullah of Jordan is received this Monday, July 19 by Joe Biden.
He is the first Arab leader to be welcomed into the White House by the new US president.
A strong symbol for the sovereign battered by the Trump administration.
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In recent years, King Abdullah has been a staunch opponent of the Trump plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
While other countries in the region, in the Gulf in particular, had aligned themselves with the previous American administration, the Jordanian sovereign, for his part, felt that the initiative weakened his role as protector of the esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem, third holiest site in Islam.
And risked causing unrest in his country where more than half of the population is of Palestinian origin.
Jordan, an ally to be pampered
By receiving Abdallah before any other Arab leader, before also the new Israeli Prime Minister, Joe Biden brings a strong mark of support to the Jordanian sovereign whose services
announced to have foiled a coup d'état in April
.
The White House presents Jordan as a “
key security partner and ally
”.
An ally that she currently intends to pamper more than the Gulf monarchies.
Politically, this meeting therefore strengthens King Abdullah.
But the sovereign also hopes to derive economic benefit from this American tour.
He wants to obtain from Washington the extension of a five-year aid plan which expires next year.
The drop in tourism income due to the pandemic is further destabilizing an already fragile economy.
And the United States is the country's largest aid provider.
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United States
Jordan
Abdullah II
Joe biden