Jordan wary of Trump’s plan to label Muslim Brotherhood terrorist body

ARTICLE SUMMARY
Jordanian King Abdullah seems keen to unite the domestic front ahead of the unveiling of the US peace plan, despite past differences with the Muslim Brotherhood.

By Osama Al Sharif , Al MONITOR, May 12, 2019

REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Supporters of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Action Front hold Palestinian flags and shout slogans during a rally to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba in the Jordan Valley, Sweimeh, Jordan, May 11, 2018.

As the US administration looks into the possibility of designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, one of the countries that will feel the backlash — if that decision is made — will be Jordan. The Muslim Brotherhood is represented in parliament through its political arm, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which has allied itself since 2016 with nationalist figures in a broad coalition. Al-Islah bloc is now the largest opposition group in the Lower House with 16 members.

But after more than seven years of ruptured ties between the Muslim Brotherhood and the royal palace, King Abdullah met April 16 with members of the bloc for the first time. In a statement to Arabi21.com, member of parliament Saleh al-Armouti described the meeting as “historic and positive,” representing “a new phase in relations between the group and the palace.” He said the meeting dealt with three files: Jerusalem, the US “deal of the century” and the legitimacy of the Muslim Brotherhood. He thanked the king for not labeling the group a terrorist organization.

Abdullah has been holding meetings with lawmakers, politicians and media figures since his return from the United States in mid-March. During these meetings, he made his position clear in rejecting any compromise over his custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, any deal that would turn Jordan into an alternative homeland for the Palestinians and attempts to settle Palestinian refugees in host countries.

His meeting with Islamist lawmakers was seen as a move to solidify the domestic front ahead of the release of President Donald Trump’s peace plan in June.