On other disruptions – Zvi Bar'el in Haaretz:
‘Jordan would never become "an alternative homeland" for Palestinians, King Abdullah declared in a speech at the UN General Assembly last September. At the time, the king had to deal with threats from the Israeli far-right; this week, he was startled to hear from President Trump that Jordan's becoming a Palestinian homeland could become official White House policy.
The king himself has yet to publicly react, and it is unclear what Trump said, exactly, but Trump's "humane" suggestion has already caused a tremendous public outcry, and it now seems as if Jordan and Egypt intend to recruit Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries considered U.S. allies in order to get Trump to climb down that tree.’ (…)
‘Jordanian anxiety has done its part, and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it publicly clear last January that "Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They cannot, they must not be pressed to leave Gaza," adding that he has assurances from Prime Minister Netanyahu that it was not Israel's policy to encourage voluntary migration from Gaza.’
(…)
‘After Trump last week put a freeze on all U.S. government foreign aid to all the world's countries, with the exception of Israel and Egypt, it is unclear what is to become of that agreement, intended to rescue Jordan from a deep recession, with a budget deficit of some $2.2 billion and unemployment at over 21 percent. Jordan is now required to tiptoe in order to preserve the financial aid and the tariff benefits it gets from the U.S.; however, any influx of refugees into its territory would mean unbearable financial burden.
Already, the cost of Jordan's "hosting" of refugees is estimated at some $2 billion per year, with aid received for them shrinking. The kingdom has recently decided to levy a fee on work permits given to Gaza residents who are not Jordanian nationals, as it previously cancelled the exemption given to other refugees from this expensive fee, at $500 per year. Here lies the other threat posed by the notion of the transfer of Palestinians into Jordan. The absorption of refugees from Syria and Iraq has not only incurred excessive spending on civilian infrastructure such as water, electricity, health and education, but has also caused thousands of Jordanian citizens to lose their jobs, having been replaced by cheap refugee labor.’
(…)
‘But Trump's vision of a transfer is not just a Jordanian or Egyptian problem. It could influence relations between all Arab countries and the U.S. and put to the supreme test the ability of Arab regimes, including those considered strategic allies of the U.S., to face public pressures that this plan could stir. The dream of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia could then be just collateral damage of Trump's real-estate enterprise in Gaza.’
Read the article here.
He might eye the Nobel Peace Prize, but setting the Middle East on fire appears to be attractive as well.
Of course, he might climb down that tree.
Or nor.
The international order is crumbling and Trump would like to fasten the downfall of all that was. Of what will come next is going to be an improvement is doubtful.
A bit of decline in the name of progress, or maybe more than a bit, is how shall I put it, very traditional.