Annexation will not end Israel’s peace with Jordan

King Abdullah knows canceling the treaty might be popular now, but the long-term impact will be more poverty and, potentially, destabilization.

„Jordan’s King Abdullah bin Hussein’s great-grandfather and namesake was murdered by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1951. His father escaped several assassination attempts by Syrians and Palestinians. Not surprisingly, it is virtually axiomatic that the king’s overriding priority is the survival of his regime, his family and his own. He has been in power for twenty-one years, but the challenges he faces now are greater than ever. How he deals with President Trump’s “Peace and Prosperity” Middle East plan, and more specifically with Israel’s possible application of sovereignty to parts of what used to be Jordan’s West Bank prior to the Six Day War, may involve fateful decisions. What are the main factors that he will have to consider?

The major threat to the Hashemite Kingdom is poverty.“ (…)