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Will West Bank annexation harm US-Jordan security cooperation?

There is too much at stake for Jordan to jeopardize its relations with the United States over Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
A man shouts slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, and a government's agreement to import natural gas from Israel, in Amman, Jordan, February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC2D0F9CTTZQ

According to the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated his objection to any annexation of Palestinian land in a call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 28. The State Department’s readout of the call, by contrast, made no mention of any discussion of the impending Israeli move to annex the Jordan River Valley.

To many in Jordan, the State Department's exclusion of Safadi’s remarks will be seen as a further dismissal of Amman’s security concerns as it greenlights annexation of parts of the West Bank, which Jordan views as a potentially destabilizing action.

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