In 'Under the Radar' Visit to DC, Jordan's King Discusses Israeli-Palestinian Peace With Trump Officials

Haaretz

Jordanian King Abdullah visited Washington this week and discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process with senior officials in the Trump administration. 

Among others, Abdullah met with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who has recently returned from a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The king emphasized the long-standing Jordanian view that progress in the peace process could help improve the situation in the region, as he has said in past visits to the U.S. capital.

A statement by the Jordanian Embassy in Washington said that during his visit – which went by mostly under the radar, without events open to the press – the king met with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. Besides the peace process, the conversations focused on the regional fight against terrorism, the situation in Syria and Iraq, and “the need to intensify cooperation and coordination among all the countries involved to counter this threat” – evidently a reference to the ongoing feud between the different Sunni countries in the Gulf region. 

This is the king’s third visit to the United States since Trump entered the White House earlier this year. Abdullah was the first Middle Eastern leader to meet Trump in early February, and then met with president again in early April. This time, according to the Jordanian Embassy’s press release, an official meeting with the president was not on his itinerary. However, the two leaders spoke on the phone last month, a conversation during which Trump reiterated America’s commitment to Jordan’s security and stability.