Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rose to dominate Israeli politics in the 1990s, Jordan has sought to enlist US help in handling a man with the power to affect their stability in his drive to remain in power.
His ascendancy to the premiership in 1996 marked a blow to prospects for lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Jordan regards the failure to agree to such a peace as being the main cause of political ills in the Middle East and a time bomb that could eventually result in another wave of Palestinian refugees fleeing to the kingdom, where tribes who regard themselves as indigenous form the bulwark of the state's support.
So, when King Abdullah meets President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the West Bank and Israel, the discussion will probably focus on the boiling tensions and bloodshed already worrying officials before Mr Netanyahu's far-right government took office in December.
King Abdullah and Mr Biden have already met twice since the US leader took office. First was in July 2021, when the monarch became the first Arab head of state to meet the new US commander-in-chief and then a year later in Jeddah for a regional security forum in which Mr Biden sought to assure allies that Washington was still very much committed to the Middle East's security.
Jordan is one of the region's largest recipients of US aid, after Israel and Egypt, and has a defence agreement with Washington. Just last week, Jordan signed a deal to buy new fighter jets from America at a cost of $4.2bn.
Aid and development ties will also feature heavily given global inflation and energy price increases since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war have hit the kingdom hard despite IMF reforms driving faster growth in 2022 than expected. Jordan has previously said that the US will provide $845 million in annual financial support to “finance development projects and implement economic reforms in different sectors”.
Last September, the US committed to providing Jordan with $10.15 billion in aid between 2023 and 2029.
But talks will probably focus on Israel and Palestine.
Although Mr Biden has not placed any political capital on resuming the long-stalled Middle East peace process as Jordan had hoped, the US leader may well share Mr Abdullah's concern that Mr Netanyahu has over-reached with heavy-handed policies towards Palestinians and appeasement of his far-right coalition colleagues, says University of Jordan professor Hasan Al Momani.
While Mr Blinken's message this week was of America's unwavering commitment to Israel and its security, even describing the most right-wing government in the country's history as an illustration of a vibrant democracy, the Biden administration has also made clear that respect for the status quo of religious sites and a halt on settlement building are key.
Mr Blinken arrived in the region with a mission of trying to avert another outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza or a third intifada following some of the worst violence in years after a month-long crackdown on the West Bank by Israeli security.
Israeli soldiers killed more Palestinians in the West Bank in 2022 than any year since 2005 when the UN began to record fatalities after the Second Intifada.
Mr Netanyahu is a "hostage to the internal Israeli dynamics", Prof Al Momani said on his approach to the Palestinians, pointing out that he had to build a coalition with even more right-wing figures than himself.
He said the Israeli right is not putting any emphasis on peace negotiations ― indeed Mr Netanyahu told CNN on Tuesday that he was less interested in talking to Palestinian leaders as with making peace with Israel's regional neighbours. The policy makes it easier for Mr Netanyahu to keep his focus on Iran and strengthening ties with the Gulf states and Morocco who signed the Abraham Accords to establish ties with Israel.
"Netanyahu has always been a problem for Jordan. His ascendancy [originally] came on a platform of lowering Palestinian expectations," said Prof Al Momani, who teaches international relations at the University of Jordan.
Despite giving Mr Netanyahu the cold shoulder on occasion, Amman has maintained open channels with Israel, which provides Jordan with a significant proportion of its water and gas supplies. The security apparatuses in the two countries also co-operate closely.
Last week, the king was the first Arab leader to meet Mr Netanyahu since he returned to office in December, even though Amman shunned him at the end of his previous term in 2020.
King Abdullah told Mr Netanyahu of the need to "maintain calm and cease all acts of violence to pave the way for a political horizon for the peace process", the Royal Palace said.
Then as violence flared in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu told CNN that he wasn't “hung up” on peace talks. Instead, he said that continuing the normalisation process with Arab states could eventually help Palestinian-Israeli talks take off.
Prof Al Momani said that Jordan "does not take this line".
He said that regardless of the outcome of the meeting between the king and Mr Biden, Jordan will remain the strongest Arab advocate that normalisation cannot substitute for a solution to the Palestinian problem.
"The crux of the problem is the Palestinian issue," he said.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
