Trump courts Jordan’s king amid embassy, refugee concerns

King Abdallah of Jordan’s visit to Washington this week is testing President Donald Trump’s ability to maintain key Arab alliances while cracking down on immigration from some Muslim countries and possibly moving the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. 
Abdallah, a close US ally, held meetings Monday with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump and the king were to come face-to-face on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, the White House said. The king also planned to meet with US lawmakers this week.
Abdallah’s trip comes as the Trump administration is embroiled in its first major Mideast controversy, sparked by Trump’s executive order temporarily halting all refugee admissions and suspending entry to the US for citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries. 
Although Jordan isn’t among the seven, even US friends in the region fear Trump’s move could embolden Mideast extremists and contribute to a perception that Washington is at war with Islam — which Trump’s administration insists is not the case.
Trump’s embassy decision looms even larger for Jordan.
The kingdom, fighting as part of US-led coalition against the Daesh group, is closely watching to see if Trump fulfills a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Doing so could trigger widespread protests among Jordan’s massive Palestinian population.
“The US relationship is central to the internal stability of the kingdom,” said Robert Satloff, who runs the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “This is really part and parcel of the national security fiber of the kingdom, and building this new relationship is really important to the king.”
This month, Jordan warned in unusually brusque terms that moving the embassy would cross a “red line” and could entail “catastrophic” consequences. 
Information Minister Mohammed Momani told The Associated Press it would be a “gift to extremists,” threatening US ties with Mideast allies.
The embassy was a prime topic of discussion in Abdallah’s meeting with Pence, officials said. The White House said they discussed Abdallah’s “views on potential changes” and how to make progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Jordanian Embassy in Washington said the US “committed to working closely with Jordan” on issues related to the conflict.

Source : Arab News