US President Donald Trump’s Gaza initiative has offered Jordan’s King Abdullah II a rare opportunity to boost his populist appeal among Jordanians bymore vocally rejecting the relocation of Palestinians.
To be sure, it is difficult to determine the king’s exact level of support (as Jordanian authorities prohibit polls on Abdullah’s approval ratings). But Abdullah has faced a wave of domestic criticism in recent years. Unemployment stands at 21 percent. As the Gaza war death toll soared last year, Jordanians hit the streets, assailing the government for not annulling the country’s peace treaty with Israel. In 2021, Abdullah’s half-brother—former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein—accused Jordanian leaders of corruption and “incompetence.” He was placed under house arrest in a string of detentions reportedly related to a coup plot, but Hamzah has denied wrongdoing.
In this challenging context, Trump called for Jordan to admit large numbers of Gazans as part of his plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip. On February 11, Abdullah met with Trump in Washington, marking the first White House visit by an Arab head of state during the current US administration. In response to Trump’s proposal, the king offered to admit two thousand ill Gazan children to Jordanian hospitals for treatment. Abdullah’s overture amounted to accepting less than 0.1 percent of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents and was far from what Trump envisions. After the meeting, the Hashemite ruler posted on social media that he opposed the displacement of Palestinians. The next day, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reiterated that Gazans should not be transferred to the Hashemite kingdom.
Abdullah’s rejection of Trump’s plan won overwhelming domestic approval. Tens of thousands of Jordanians lined the Amman streets on February 13, welcoming the king home and backing his Gaza stance. Citizens carried large banners with pictures of Abdullah and slogans opposing the displacement of Palestinians. Amer Shobaki, a Jordanian analyst and staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, thanked the king for his “firm and courageous stance in preserving Jordan’s stability.”
The Jordanian support for Abdullah’s stance transcended the lines that frequently divide the kingdom. Jordanians of Palestinian origin, who make up an estimated 50 to 60 percent of the country’s population, appreciated that the king would not participate in a plan that would empty Gaza’s population and weaken the Palestinian national movement. East Bankers—Jordanians whose roots descend from the eastern side of the Jordan River—have no interest in the Hashemite kingdom absorbing an additional wave of Palestinians and further diluting their political power.
Abdullah’s rejection of Trump’s plan harkens back to populist moves by the late King Hussein. In 1991, Hussein assailed the Gulf War and took a pro-Iraq stance—despite an appeal by US President George H.W. Bush for a statement from the Jordanian leader conveying understanding of the US position. The move won widespread support among Jordanians for defending a fellow Arab state against Western powers. Thirty-five years earlier, Hussein expelled British Lieutenant General John Glubb (who at the time led the Arab Legion) to limit foreign influence over the kingdom, which many Jordanians applauded. Like his beloved father, Abdullah benefited domestically from standing up to a Western power in defense of Arab interests.
Trump’s Gaza plan has offered Abdullah an opportunity to more vocally support the Palestinian cause, a challenge for the sixty-three-year-old leader since the Gaza war erupted. Amnesty International reported that Jordanian security forces arrested over one thousand individuals at pro-Gaza protests in late 2023. In April 2024, Jordan’s Air Force shot down Iranian drones fired at Israel, with Amman insisting it was defending the security of Jordanians. Despite Hamas military spokesman Abu Obadiah’s calls for “resistance” from Jordan against Israel, Abdullah refused to open an additional front against the Jewish state, likely in part as an effort to prevent Israeli strikes against the Hashemite kingdom.
Even after Abdullah ruled out the absorption of hundreds of thousands of Gazans, Trump still praised the Hashemite leader. “King Abdullah is one of the true great leaders of the world,” Trump announced in a February 12 message to the Jordanian public. “He’s got a wonderful heart. He loves you so much.” While Trump had warned on February 10 that the fate of Jordan’s nearly $1.5 billion annual assistance package may be linked to the kingdom’s absorption of Gazans, after Abdullah’s White House visit, Trump suggested that he would no longer use aid as a threat.
The Jordanian ruler’s diplomatic approach to tensions with the White House helped his cause. In contrast to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas—who called Trump a “dog” in 2020 after Washington unveiled a peace proposal favorable to Israel—Abdullah avoided such insults following Trump’s threatening initiative. On February 11, the king called Trump a “man of peace” and lauded his role in securing a Gaza cease-fire, understanding the president’s appreciation for public praise.
Jordan faces numerous challenges. The Hashemite kingdom’s economy remains dismal. The United States may still permanently sever assistance to Amman after Washington completes the ninety-day review of US foreign aid worldwide. Such a move would add stress to the cash-strapped country. Yet, Abdullah is enjoying a surge of popularity is no insignificant development. It may provide the Hashemite ruler with additional flexibility as he navigates a tense period in US-Jordan relations.
Aaron Magid hosts the podcast On Jordan and is the author of an upcoming biography on King Abdullah. A former Amman-based journalist, his articles on the Hashemite kingdom have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Al-Monitor. Follow him on X: @AaronMagid.
Note: Some Atlantic Council work funded by the US government has been paused as a result of the Trump administration’s Stop Work Orders issued under the Executive Order “Reevaluating and Realigning US Foreign Aid.”
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Image: A convoy travels as people gather along a road to welcome Jordan’s King Abdullah upon his return from the U.S., as they praise him for opposing Trump’s proposal for Gazans, in Amman, Jordan February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
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