The French newspaper “La Croix” said that between dropping humanitarian aid on Gaza, diplomatic activity and calling for a ceasefire, the Kingdom of Jordan has been seeking to make its voice heard since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. But Amman, caught in the crossfire, is a prisoner of its helplessness. Its means of pressure are limited to avoid the continuation of the war and the influx of refugees into Jordanian territory. The Kingdom continues diplomatic activity in favor of the two-state solution.

The newspaper said that the message, which the Jordanian king delivered two weeks before the October 7 attack, contained within it something almost prescient. Abdullah II was attending a summit in New York when he expressed doubts about the normalization agreements that Israel recently signed with several Arab countries. “The belief of some actors in the region that we can parachute into Palestine and sign agreements with the Arabs does not work,” he said.

A month after the Hamas attack and the start of the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, Jordan finds itself on the front line and in a state of balance. However, the Kingdom is accustomed to experiencing unrest in periods of crises between Israelis and Palestinians, even in the arena of mosques, where it is the guardian of the holy places in Jerusalem, Lacroix says.

But the Jordanian leadership is struggling to make its voice heard in this unprecedented explosion, which fears its internal and regional repercussions. The equation is complex, as summed up by geopolitician Mark LaVerne, director emeritus of research at the National Center for Scientific Research: “In Jordan, there is the palace, the king’s wife - Rania, an upper-middle-class Palestinian in Nablus, the cabinet and a people whose core is made up of Palestinians, which puts Abdullah II in an embarrassing situation.”

While Queen Rania makes her voice heard in her interviews to denounce the Israeli occupation, the Queen increases calls for a ceasefire and respect for humanitarian law.

La Croix newspaper indicated that the Palestinians and Jordanians are related by blood. With more than two million Palestinian refugees, Jordan is the Arab country that welcomes the largest number of refugees, most of whom are descendants of exiles from the “Nakba” and hold Jordanian citizenship. Since October 7, demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people have become daily, and some even attempted to storm the Israeli embassy in Amman.

Relations with Hamas are complex

Lacroix continued to say that the “weak” Kingdom of Jordan wants to avoid internal contagion at a time when the former leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, calls on Jordanians to mobilize to join the fight for Palestine. Links with the Islamic movement are complex and ancient, as Jordan hosted the political branch of Hamas until 1999 before expelling it. Geopolitical researcher Mark Laverne also points out that “Hamas belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, with which King Hussein concluded an agreement to integrate them into Parliament to neutralize them.”

After failing to achieve the ceasefire he called for, Abdullah II wants to remain a central player by making Amman a center for diplomacy, as evidenced by the visit of US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to Amman on the fourth of this month, Lacroix adds, considering Jordan does not enjoy the influence of Egypt or Qatar, and this war on Gaza further complicates its strong relationship with the United States, as the Kingdom of Jordan is the second largest recipient of aid after Israel.

Ambiguity remains regarding Israel, to which Amman is linked through the Wadi Araba Agreement, a peace treaty signed in 1994, which the Jordanian street has denounced in recent days. The Kingdom fears the forced displacement of Palestinians, and views the extreme right-wing nationalist discourse in Israel, which sometimes presents Jordan as a “second homeland” for the Palestinians.

Last Wednesday, the Kingdom of Jordan decided to recall its ambassador to Israel “immediately” in protest against the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. Amman, with the support of public opinion, had taken clear positions, with its king stressing during a press conference on October 17 that “there are no refugees in Jordan, and no refugees in Egypt. This situation must be addressed with its humanitarian dimension inside Gaza and the West Bank,” denouncing the intention of “creating... a reality on the ground.”