The King’s return

The social media was awash with columns, opinions, extrapolations and pledges taking to task the long six-week absence of His Majesty King Abdullah and the Royal household members abroad. Arab and foreign media also rode the bandwagon, wittingly or otherwise. All of that hoopla came to a standstill when the King and family arrived home.

Of the presumptuous theories we heard about was that the King is too busy negotiating the deal of the century. Upon his Majesty’s return, breaking news stated that the whole deal was postponed till November. This grace period was meant to afford both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the time to avoid troubles until mid-term elections in the USA are over and/or until Netanyahu decides whether he wants to go for early Knesset elections.

This Haaretz theory does not hold water because it assumes that both Trump and Netanyahu may have to compromise their positions on some issues. I beg to disagree.

Another proposal was that His Majesty was in a “pensive seclusion” considering his domestic options. Jordanians, like their King, are in a revisionist mood. Some people speculated that King Abdullah will take major decisions and effect deep changes upon his return. But His Majesty has already done that upon his return from his previous vacation. He changed the Cabinet and effected changes in the Royal Court.

It was obvious by the nature of that change that he was responding to the widespread calls to give the government its space and to neutralise the Royal Court’s involvement in domestic mundane issues. Now that he has done that, many are calling back on him to enhance his involvement in those affairs.

A third theory of hysterical dimensions was that His Majesty, for health or other unnamed reasons, wanted to abdicate to Prince Hussein,  his son and heir-apparent. But, yes but, the American administration would not hear of it. These clumsy aberrations are figments of extremist Israelis’ imagination, especially who call for making Jordan an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.

I really do not have any seriously credible news about the things His Majesty and his family were doing. But I know that if he had favoured to keep matters to himself, then that is his prerogative.

However, I surmise that he must have discussed the domestic and the regional issues with American leaders and with some experts on the region. I am sure that the Israeli government’s displeasure with his constant search for fair and lasting peace has intensified as a result of his success in curbing the American leaders from the deal of the century.

I am sure that His Majesty is on par with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who had spelled off fears that he was endorsing the deal of the century. By insisting on East Jerusalem as being the capital of Palestine and on the right of return to Palestinian refugees, King Salman is in full agreement with King Abdullah.

His Majesty wants the government to tackle economic and social issues. He is moving along a reform path, whether some people see its track on the ground or not. But there is an evolving movement whose impact will be built soon.

To accept that His Majesty was at a hiatus from the major issues during his vacation is nothing more than an exercise in naïveté.