The last thing Jordan wanted was to be forced into choosing sides in the latest Gulf dispute that erupted unexpectedly June 5. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt jointly severed diplomatic relations with Doha and took additional measures that included closure of airspace to Qatar Airways flights, expulsion of Qatari nationals and blocking internet access to news websites associated with Qatar, primarily Al Jazeera. The declared reasons for this unprecedented action were allegations that Qatar was funding terrorist groups and was interfering in the domestic affairs of these countries in clear violation of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreements and international law.

The traditionally cautious Jordanian diplomacy was taken aback. But it was expected to show solidarity with its Gulf allies, especially Saudi Arabia. A day later, Amman announced that it was downgrading diplomatic representation with Qatar, asking the Qatari ambassador to leave, and revoking the license of Al Jazeera's office in Jordan. But it reiterated that Qatari nationals were still welcome in the kingdom. Furthermore, Royal Jordanian flights to Doha were not interrupted. By choosing a watered-down action, Amman was hoping to satisfy Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the two capitals leading the Qatar boycott, without having to adopt extreme actions.

In justifying the Jordanian position, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said June 6 that the decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Qatar came after examining the “cause of the crisis” between Doha and several other Arab states. He added in a statement that the government “hopes that such a regretful time would come to an end and that the crisis would be solved on a solid ground.” Since then, the government has avoided making any comment on the Gulf dispute.

It was also noteworthy that no mention of the crisis was made following King Abdullah’s short visit to Kuwait City on June 13, where he held talks with the Kuwaiti emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The emir is leading the only mediation effort to end the dispute — so far unsuccessfully.