Jordan engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration as president in an effort to help lay the groundwork for a fresh engagement with the United States following years of frustration for many countries that was brought about by the unilateral approach of the Donald Trump presidency. 

On Jan. 18, King Abdullah hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Amman. The two leaders held talks that covered bilateral ties and regional issues. They also discussed ways to expand Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation while building on progress made at the three previous summits, according to a royal court statement. The king reaffirmed Jordan’s standing position calling for a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement said. 

Sisi was quoted as saying that Egypt will continue to push for efforts to secure Palestinian rights, adding that supporting the Palestinian cause is a fundamental element of Egyptian policy.

Sources said the two leaders also discussed the upcoming Palestinian elections, whose dates were announced by President Mahmoud Abbas on Jan. 15. Sources told Al-Monitor that both Amman and Cairo had pressured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make the move few days before Biden’s inauguration in a bid to renew the legitimacy of Palestinian legislative and executive institutions.