Jordan’s King Abdullah II Meets with Israel’s Herzog in Amman

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah II Meets with Israel’s Herzog in Amman

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II this week at his palace in Amman, the president’s office announced in a statement on Wednesday.

“During the warm meeting, held at king Abdullah's invitation, the President and the king discussed deep strategic issues, at both bilateral and regional levels,” the statement read.

The two leaders discussed maintaining stable bilateral ties and “the need for dialogue with all actors in the region.”

The meeting took place ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to the region and at a time of increasing talk of security cooperation between Israel and Arab countries.

Herzog’s office said that the visit had been coordinated with the Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s offices, among other offices.

Jordanian officials told Channel 12 that the visit is “important” as it was held ahead of key developments in the region.

“It also comes in the wake of a series of visits that bolstered Jordanian-Israeli relations,” they said.

Earlier this week, Jordanian King held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman.

Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting carried a Jordanian affirmation that any political developments in the region would not be at the expense of the Palestinians.

The two sides agreed that the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is through the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abdullah II and Abbas also said that the next step required is to cease unilateral measures to open the way to resuming negotiations in the future.

Amman is in constant communication with Washington and is working to have the Palestinian cause at the top of Biden’s agenda during his visit to the region next month, Abdullah II said.

King Abdullah will attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan with Biden in Jeddah.

Biden is expected to meet with Abbas in Bethlehem, as well as with Israeli officials in Israel.

Palestinian sources said that during his meeting with the US President next month, Abbas plans to ask for US pressure on Israel to make it stop unilateral actions, push the peace process forward, reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem, reopen the Palestinian Liberation Office in Washington, and remove the organization from the terrorism list.



Sweida Clashes Renew Debate Over Tribal Alliances and Kurdish Forces in Syria

Fighters from the Bedouin clans in the city of Sweida on Saturday (AFP) 
Fighters from the Bedouin clans in the city of Sweida on Saturday (AFP) 
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Sweida Clashes Renew Debate Over Tribal Alliances and Kurdish Forces in Syria

Fighters from the Bedouin clans in the city of Sweida on Saturday (AFP) 
Fighters from the Bedouin clans in the city of Sweida on Saturday (AFP) 

The recent violent clashes in Sweida between local Druze factions and pro-government Bedouin tribes have reignited concerns over the stability of tribal alliances across Syria. As Arab tribes rallied to support the Bedouins, speculation mounted that a similar tribal uprising could erupt in eastern and northern Syria, where US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) maintain a stronghold.

The fear of a broader tribal insurgency grew after thousands of tribal fighters reportedly mobilized toward the Sweida front from provinces such as Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa, areas that remain divided between the SDF, a Kurdish-Arab coalition, and the Syrian government.

However, Sheikh Maan Hamidi Daham al-Jarba, head of the Shammar tribe, dismissed the possibility of the Sweida scenario repeating itself in northeastern Syria.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he praised the SDF and its commander, General Mazloum Abdi, for achieving what he called “historic political balances and understandings” during a highly sensitive phase. The Shammar’s military wing, the Sanadid Forces - numbering between 7,000 and 10,000 fighters - have been key SDF partners since 2013, operating primarily along Syria’s eastern border with Iraq.

The SDF, established in 2015, introduced itself as a unified national military force representing Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, and other communities in Syria. Earlier this year, its commander, Abdi, signed a landmark agreement with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to integrate the SDF and its civilian administration into the Ministry of Defense and national institutions by the end of 2025.

Bedir Mulla Rashid, a Kurdish affairs analyst at the Raman Center for Research, noted that the SDF’s power base has long rested on alliances with Arab tribal councils. While he acknowledged that the Sweida events could shake dynamics in the northeast, he ruled out an imminent tribal uprising. He emphasized ongoing US efforts to stabilize the region, partial sanctions relief, and a peace process between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as factors discouraging escalation.

“There is no equivalent to the Sweida factions in the northeast,” Rashid said. “Nor is there a regional power willing to fuel a confrontation with the SDF, especially as Türkiye is currently focused on internal reconciliation with the Kurds.”

In regions like al-Jazira and the Euphrates, tribal divisions have deepened over the course of Syria’s conflict. Last summer, tribal infighting erupted in deadly clashes. Yet, figures like Akram Mahshoush al-Zoubaa, head of the Elders Council within the Autonomous Administration and adviser to the Jabour tribe, remain adamant that the recent unrest should not be viewed as a model for the east.

“These movements do not reflect the values of Arab tribes,” al-Zoubaa said. “The SDF represents all components of society, despite ongoing efforts by various actors to sow division.”