‘I will do the best for my people’

Before and after the meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and even for decades, the core principle of Jordan’s grand equation has been clear and firm. Jordan has always been fully supportive of a genuine peace process between the Arabs and Palestinians on one side, and Israel on the other.

Such was the first part of the Jordanian equation even before and after the Jordanian-Israeli Peace Treaty was signed in 1994. The second part is that Jordan is not a geographical and political entity to resolve Israel's problems, such as when Israel wants to rid itself of Palestinians through displacement or other means, or via resettlement projects disguised under false names like the "Jordanian option", "confederation", or "federation".

On several occasions, there have been Israeli efforts to deal with the Palestinian issue in a way that conflicts with the Jordanian equation, including procrastination in fulfilling agreements with the Palestinians, turning a blind eye to real peace, and disregarding the idea of a Palestinian state, as was the case with the "Deal of the Century" project during Trump’s first term. Jordan has remained committed to its grand equation, believing in a genuine peace that grants Palestinians their rights and rejecting any solution at the expense of the Kingdom, the state, the identity and the position.

What the King said on Tuesday after his meeting with Trump represents the unwavering stance on dealing with any scheme concerning the Palestinian issue and Jordan’s interests. When Trump spoke about the possibility of offering land in Egypt and Jordan to settle Palestinians, the King’s response was clear: Jordan’s interests, the interests of Jordanians, and the preservation of Jordan’s identity and sovereignty are paramount. Jordan will never engage in any scheme related to displacement or any similar proposals.

When Trump spoke about displacement, the King stated that Jordan would accept 2,000 Palestinian children for medical treatment, an ongoing practice the Kingdom has been maintaining since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza.

The most important political point the King raised was the Egyptian project for handling Gaza, which will be presented to the United States. Egypt has been handling Gaza’s file for decades, and has always enjoyed Arab consensus on this due to its geographic proximity and the impact the Gaza issue has on Egyptian national security. The King also confirmed that Arab officials will be visiting Washington to discuss ideas and future plans for Gaza.

Despite the calm and diplomatic language the King used, his stance on displacement is clear, as is the coordinated Arab effort, particularly with Egypt, in managing this sensitive issue in a way that aligns with the declared positions.

Yesterday’s meeting reflected an administration that maintained Jordan’s position while preserving its strong relations with Washington, as well as Arab coordination in handling a critical issue and a project with little chance of success.