King Abdullah of Jordan Meets With Biden at White House

Politics|Biden praises Jordan’s King Abdullah arsenic a loyal person successful a ‘tough neighborhood.’

• July 19, 2021

President Biden connected Monday praised King Abdullah II of Jordan arsenic a “loyal and decent friend’ arsenic the 2 leaders met astatine the White House, a captious sojourn for a Mideast person who recovered himself sidelined nether erstwhile President Donald J. Trump.

King Abdullah is the archetypal Arab caput of authorities to sojourn the White House since Mr. Biden took office, a motion that the United States wants to elevate Jordan erstwhile again to its accepted relation arsenic a determination peacemaker.

“We’ve been hanging retired unneurotic for a agelong time,” Mr. Biden said Monday, arsenic the 2 sat successful the Oval Office up of their bilateral meeting. “It’s bully to person him backmost successful the White House.”

Although Mr. Biden’s overseas argumentation priorities are heavy focused connected China and Russia, the Middle East is simply a portion that the caller administration rapidly learned it cannot spend to ignore. The sojourn besides comes arsenic Jordan has been struggling amid coronavirus restrictions and arsenic King Abdullah has had to fend disconnected an alleged crippled — involving his ain fractional member — to overthrow him.

During his 22 years successful power, King Abdullah has been seen by American presidents arsenic a moderate, reliable state successful the Middle East, often playing the relation of envoy from the Arab satellite successful Washington.

That peculiar narration ended with Mr. Trump, who favored moving with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States instead.

“Trump’s departure is simply a immense alleviation to him,” said Martin S. Indyk, a erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Israel and a erstwhile peculiar envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

King Abdullah, for instance, was not consulted connected the Trump administration’s Mideast bid plan, which successful its archetypal mentation provided for annexation of the Jordan Valley. And King Abdullah was besides disquieted that American assistance to Jordan was successful jeopardy during the Trump era.

The United States has been the largest supplier of assistance to Jordan since 1994, erstwhile Jordan signed a bid pact with Israel, according to Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, manager of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle programme astatine the United States Institute of Peace.

“As overmuch arsenic this medication has tried not to get consumed by the Middle East, it is precise overmuch focused connected preserving stableness there,” Ms. Kurtzer-Ellenbogen said. “It sees Jordan’s relation arsenic cardinal successful that and 1 that was eclipsed successful the past fewer years.”

The king and Mr. Biden person a agelong relationship that dates backmost to earlier King Abdullah assumed powerfulness and erstwhile Mr. Biden served successful the Senate.

King Abdullah, who was accompanied by his eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, noted that helium “had the privilege of knowing you with my begetter decades ago.”

King Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, ruled the state for much than 40 years earlier his decease successful 1999. He added, “this is precise warming for maine to beryllium capable to spot you successful this position.”

Jordan is simply a tiny state with constricted powerfulness successful the region, and King Abdullah’s situation is to link with much almighty countries, similar Egypt and Israel, successful bid to show that helium tin inactive play a captious relation that justifies American enactment for Jordan. Experts successful the portion said they expected him to contiguous Mr. Biden with ideas for task forces that could beforehand a much unchangeable concern successful Syria and different parts of the tumultuous region, and caller alignments designed to support Iraq arsenic an state successful the Western world.

King Abdullah’s wife, Queen Rania, did not be the gathering connected Monday, but was scheduled to person beverage with the archetypal lady, Jill Biden.

On Monday, Mr. Biden praised the king for his “vital enactment successful the Middle East.”

“You unrecorded successful a pugnacious neighborhood,” Mr. Biden said.