IN THREE SIMILAR ARTICLES Americans are told that moving the US. Embassy to Israel’s capital city would displease the Hashemite kingdom.
Two of three headlines used the almost ubiquitous term “red line” – a line politicians seem to casually set with no plans to act when the “line” is crossed (e.g., Obama’s Syrian “red line”).
ACCORDING TO Internet media outlets,
US News/AP: Jordan Not Pleased With Proposed Embassy Move
ABC News: Jordan Says Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem Is 'Red Line'
Arutz Sheva:Jordan: Moving American embassy to Jerusalem is a 'red line'
All reports carried basically the same leed (opening paragraph: Jordan's government spokesman warned on Thursday of "catastrophic" repercussions if President-elect Donald Trump makes good on a campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem.
Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Momani said An embassy move would be a "red line" for Jordan, would "inflame the Islamic and Arab streets" and serve as a "gift to extremists," he said, adding that Jordan would use all possible political and diplomatic means to try and prevent such a decision.
Apparently there has been a sub rosa understanding between previous U.S. presidents and the Muslim world that while the campaigning president “hinted” the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and back that up by moving the embassy to the capital city; all pre-Trump presidents knew they would prevent the move in order to kowtow to the Muslims.
It remains to be seen if Trump, when he takes office on 20 January, will be a “man of his word” or will renege on his promise, especially in light of the fact that the majority of Jews vocally and financially supported Clinton.
Jordan, although an Arab Muslim state, has had friendly relations with the U.S. for decades; it likewise has a peace agreement with Israel. For its part, Israel allows Jordan to control the Temple Mount, a site undisputedly Jewish. The Muslims use the Mount as a football (soccer) field and as a site to throw stones at passing Jews, meanwhile Jordan does nothing.
To its credit, the Jordanian spokesman said Jordan would use all possible political and diplomatic means to convince Trump to keep the embassy in its present location, rather than upgrading the consulate in Jerusalem to embassy status and downgrading the embassy in the coastal plain to consulate status.
The fact that Israel has been the U.S.’ most consistent and loyal ally in the region since its founding has, until Trump, been ignored due to Arab Muslim threats, most of which were not, as Jordan promises, “political and diplomatic”.
Probably most Israelis — regardless of political position — want to assure the peace agreement with Jordan is maintained. The agreement also benefits Jordan, particularly in light of the disaster of Obama’s “Arab Spring.”
For all that, Jordan’s chutzpah to tell the U.S. where to put is embassy in another country is outstanding.
As an aside,
Three-Year MOU on U.S. Foreign Aid to Jordan
On February 3, 2015, the Obama Administration and the Jordanian government signed a nonbinding, three-year memorandum of understanding (MOU), in which the United States pledges to provide the kingdom with $1 billion annually in total U.S. foreign assistance, subject to the approval of Congress, from FY2015 through FY2017. The new MOU followed a previous five-year agreement in which the United States had pledged to provide a total of $660 million annually from FY2009 through FY2014. During those five years, Congress actually provided Jordan with $4.753 billion in total aid, or $1.453 billion ($290.6 million annually) above what was agreed to in the five-year MOU, including more than $1 billion in FY2014. According to the Department of State, “The United States and Jordan share a commitment to promoting regional security and stability, furthering Jordan’s economic development, and advancing social, political, and economic reform in Jordan. The United States recognizes Jordan’s increased immediate needs resulting from regional unrest, the efforts Jordan is undertaking at the forefront of the fight against ISIL and other extremist ideology and terrorism, the influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq, the disruption of foreign energy supplies, and other unprecedented strains.”
Source: Congressional Research Service (Page 12)
Source: Congressional Research Service (Page 13)
If Trump were vindictive — his giving Clinton a “pass” on her classified emails proves he is not — he might move the U.S. embassy in Jordan from Amman to, as an example, Aqiba; convenient to tourists visiting the Red Sea as well as Egypt and Israel’s Eilat; a consulate could be left in Amman.
While I have no doubt that Jordan officially will restrict its formal actions against the embassy move to “political and diplomatic”, Information Minister Mohammed Momani’s comment that the move “would "inflame the Islamic and Arab streets" and serve as a "gift to extremists,” gives a hint that Jordan may be inciting Arab Muslims to take to the streets and for the extremists to act. The most likely candidates to act on Momani’s suggestion are the Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria (Yesha); these people need no excuse to attack Israelis — Christian, Jewish, and Muslim alike.
Where the U.S. decides to put its embassy in Israel is between the U.S. and Israel, not the U.S., Israel, and Jordan.
As an aside, one that perhaps Jordan failed to consider: the embassy in Jerusalem would be more convenient for Arabs from the so-called “West Bank” to do business with the U.S. government.
