Trump and MBS have a few things going that contribute to their unholy alliance. This mutual dependence accounts for Trump brushing off calls for punishment of the Saudi heir’s openly cruel and murderous killing of one of his country’s prominent citizens.
‘The Deal Of The Century’ is one of those battering rams dreamt up by the Saudis and the Israelis roping in the United States in the form of an utterly stupid president with no sense of history or desire for peace. The plan goes like this: 1. Strip Jordan of its Islamic guardianship of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) that existed from the time the Hashemite Kingdom’s existence devolved from Fatima the daughter of the Prophet. 2. Create a space in Jordan for all the West Bank Palestinians to settle, leaving Israel in undisputed control of all annexed and illegally settled West Bank lands. 3. If Jordan does not comply with this devilish plan, starve the country of funds and create anarchy with the king and his tribes. No matter that the region will become another civil unrest hotspot. Here is some background. The East Bankers as the Bedouin tribes of Jordan are called, owned their land before the Hashemite ruling family had any influence there. They owe no allegiance to the King and yet have always supported him. For example during the Palestinian swarming of Jordan caused by the Lebanese civil wars and the Israeli conflicts, they stood by the King and subdued the aggressive Palestinians who were bent on taking over the kingdom. In a magnanimous act, Jordan gave a home to those very displaced Palestinians, later giving them citizenship. Jordan depends on US aid and to a lesser extent Saudi financial support. Without this, the economy will crumble, the king will be deposed and Jordan will be the new Palestine, a relief to the bad press Israel gets from Jewish settler aggression. In fact Israel now gets a chance to increase the size of the tiny country. Saudi Arabia will be jubilant with total control of Islam’s holiest shrines - the two holy mosques in Mecca and control of Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, the third holiest place for Muslims. Saudis become sole custodians and guardians of Islam, its moral arbiter and its biggest financier. Trump in the name of the US will get the credit of solving the world’s thorniest problem of the last hundred years. What stands between these dreams of the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia, is the fierce tradition of Jordan’s Bedouin tribes who will support the king through this enforced poverty or overthrow him should he succumb to the pressure. In any case, Jordan a heretofore stable and peaceful country, is likely to become the powder keg of a new conflagration. Roland. Toronto.
