The airdrop of humanitarian aid to Gazans, while an overt publicity stunt, could work to bolster the image of the monarch among his citizens, said Jordan researcher Aaron Magid. A former Amman-based journalist, today Magid hosts the podcast “On Jordan,” which discusses current affairs in the Hashemite kingdom.
“About 50 to 60 percent of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian descent, and many still have family ties to people in the West Bank or Gaza, so the issue is very emotional for many Jordanians,” Magid said. “They’re constantly watching Al Jazeera or other TV news channels showing the high casualty toll in Gaza, and they’re deeply impacted by that.”
While the king’s participation largely appealed to domestic audiences, it also signaled Amman’s commitment to alleviating the plight of the Gazan civilian population, at the same time as diplomatic ties with the US and the Jewish state are preserved.
“On the one hand, Jordan genuinely wants the war to end, but on the other hand, it has a strategic partnership with the United States, and it knows that if it were to cut off ties with Israel completely, it would put its $1.5 billion in annual aid from Congress at risk,” Magid explained. “Jordan is constantly playing a balancing act.” READ MORE