During a brief stopover in Jordan en route to Israel, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a highly complimentary assessment of King Abdullah II, praising his “balance and foresight” during a visit to the port city of Akaba. The remarks, delivered Saturday evening, signaled a strategic effort to underscore the critical role Jordan plays in regional stability and Germany’s deepening security ties with Amman.
Merz explicitly acknowledged Jordan’s immense burden in hosting a significant population of Palestinian refugees – a population larger than any other nation – characterizing it as “a truly special and remarkable humanitarian achievement”. This overt recognition appears aimed at bolstering Jordan’s standing on the international stage, particularly at a time when renewed tensions between Israel and Palestine are exacerbating existing humanitarian challenges.
The Chancellor’s visit, though brief, highlighted the intensification of security cooperation between Germany and Jordan. He specifically referenced the Bundeswehr’s (German Armed Forces) base in Al-Azraq, where approximately 170 German soldiers are stationed, describing it as a “fixed base” for this collaboration. While the precise nature of this cooperation remains largely opaque to the public, it likely encompasses intelligence sharing, training and logistical support, reflecting Germany’s growing investment in regional security – a policy that has drawn criticism from some quarters concerned about potential entanglement in protracted conflicts.
The timing of Merz’s visit, immediately preceding meetings with Israeli President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu, carries significant political weight. It suggests a deliberate effort to present Jordan as a vital, stabilizing force within the region, a sentiment potentially intended to subtly influence Israeli policy and encourage a more measured approach to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, critics argue that such overt displays of support for a regional actor, coupled with the limited public scrutiny of German military deployments like the Al-Azraq base, raise questions about the transparency and democratic accountability of Germany’s increasingly assertive foreign policy agenda in the Middle East. The emphasis on Jordanian stability, while laudable, also risks overlooking the complex and often precarious internal political dynamics within Jordan itself.