Trip comes on the background of weeks of tensions over Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque complex
Jordanian King Abdullah II is set to visit Ramallah on Monday for the first time since 2012 to meet with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abdullah’s trip follows a series of crises centered around the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif; namely, a major protest from the Muslim world that forced Israel to remove security measures installed at the al-Aqsa mosque in the wake of the killing of two police officers there, as well as another attack against an Israeli security guard at the embassy in Amman, who responded by shooting dead two Jordanians.
Speaking to The Media Line, Addie Awwad, a Palestinian security analyst in the West Bank explained that the timing of the visit is vital as “it reaffirms strong Palestinian-Jordanian ties and a commitment to peace.” Moreover, as the trip comes against the backdrop of Israel-Jordan tensions, Awwad believes it further “signals Jordanian condemnation of the recent developments at the al-Aqsa compound.”
“Abdullah is coming to show the Jordanian population that he stands firmly with the Palestinians. It’s a political maneuver,” he stated. For Awwad, the optics are also evidence of the strain in Jordan’s relations with Israel. Abdullah expressed outrage over the embassy incident and said his country was “infuriated” by Israel’s “unacceptable and provocative behavior,” mainly in reference to a cozy phot-op between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Israeli embassy guard after his return to Israel. Jordanian media thereafter published a copy of the security guard’s identification, a move that most analysts agree put the individual’s safety at risk.
According to Lior Akerman, a former brigadier-general who served as a division head in the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel all share a common problem with respect to the Temple Mount. “In recent years,” he explained to The Media Line, “radical Muslim organizations and non-profit organizations have taken control of the holy site, thereby threatening the sovereignty of all parties over the complex.”
Most of these associations, Akerman continued, are run by the Islamic Movement in Israel, led by Sheikh Raed Salah, which is backed financially by Qatar and even Hamas. Akerman thus suggests that part of the purpose of Abdullah’s visit is to strengthen cooperation with the Palestinians and demonstrate solidarity against elements in the struggle for control of al-Aqsa. He noted, though, that “it would be better for the Jordanian and Palestinian governments to cooperate with Israel against those radical Islamic elements instead of fighting against Israel.”
This will be next to impossible for the foreseeable future, as Jordan has banned Israel’s ambassador, Einat Schlein, from returning the Kingdom (she left along with the other embassy staff following the attack), until such time that the Netanyahu government guarantees the security guard is investigated. To this end, Jordan called on Israel to initiate an inquiry into the matter, which is reportedly underway.
Akerman believes that the diplomatic maneuvering is unnecessary and irrelevant. “This struggle stems only from the Jordanian need to demonstrate a firm line against Israel in order to reestablish Jordan’s status as a defender of the holy sites in Jerusalem, a status it is losing.” He does, however, suggest that the embassy case deserves further investigation for the sake of “discovering the truth,” but not as part of a diplomatic battle.
“The correct solution,” Akerman concluded, “is an internal investigation in Israel whose results will be brought to the attention of Jordanian law enforcement authorities. At the same time, Jordan must restore the situation to normal and return to normalization.”
Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994 (albeit one that many Jordanians object to), recently pledged $1 million to the Waqf, the Islamic Trust that administers the Temple Mount under Jordanian auspices. It comes in response to demands that Abdullah provide justice for the “martyrs” of the embassy incident.
But all of this will likely be placed on the back burner on Monday, as the Palestinians take center stage. Abdullah’s visit is expected to be a boost for Abbas, as the leaders assume a united front following weeks of turmoil in the region.