Biden set to host King Abdullah on Monday for broad array of ME talks

Gulf Today Report

US President Joe Biden is set to host King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday, a key US ally in a volatile region, in what will be the first of three face-to-face meetings with leaders from the Middle East expected soon.

It is one of the most difficult moments of the Jordanian leader's 22-year rule and at a pivotal time in the Middle East for Biden.

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Abdullah, who faced down a challenge to his authority in April from his half-brother, Prince Hamza, arrives on Monday afternoon at the White House.

He will have his first Oval Office talks with Biden since the US president took power in January.

King Abdullah II of Jordan

Last week a Jordanian state security court sentenced two former officials to serve 15 years in prison over an alleged plot against the king uncovered earlier this year that involved Abdullah's half-brother.

A senior Biden administration official said the president's talks with the king are expected to include the way forward for Israel and the Palestinians with Bennett having recently replaced Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli prime minister.

Tensions remain high in the wake of the 11-day war in May between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Biden, who has put much of his foreign policy focus on China and Russia in the early going, faces some difficult issues in the Middle East. He is dealing with stepped-up attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias at the same moment that his administration is trying to nudge Iran back to the negotiating table to revive the nuclear agreement that Donald Trump abandoned during his presidency.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the meeting "will be an opportunity to discuss the many challenges facing the Middle East and showcase Jordan’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the region.”