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Monday, March 22, 2021

Jordan renews $435M defense agreement with the US, Ahlam Tamimi not a factor

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday that Jordan recently signed a defense agreement with the United States.

The agreement, which allows US forces to enter Jordan freely, was signed on January 31 and approved by the Jordanian government on February 17. 

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the Jordanian parliament that "the defense agreement with the United States of America took place after lengthy negotiations. It includes 19 articles and appendices that include the legal status of the American forces and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense and it regulates the relationship between the Jordanian Armed Forces and the American forces."

Safadi added that the agreement is worth some $435 million annually to Jordan.

There is no indication that the Biden administration (or the Trump administration beforehand) even tried to condition the agreement on progress in extraditing Ahlam Tamimi, the terrorist responsible for the murder of two Americans and any others at the Sbarro pizza shop bombing. 

It appears that justice for the victims of the bombing is back to becoming the lowest priority to the United States.