Administration

Biden to host Jordan’s King Abdullah next week

President Biden will host King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House on Monday for talks about an end to the Israel-Hamas war, the White House announced Thursday.

The president and first lady Jill Biden will welcome Abdullah and Queen Rania Al Abdulla to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Jordan, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

They will “discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza and efforts to produce an enduring end to the crisis. Towards that end, the two leaders will discuss U.S. effort to support the Palestinian people including through enhanced humanitarian assistance into Gaza and a vision for a durable peace to include a two-state solution with Israel’s security guaranteed,” Jean-Pierre said.

Three U.S. service members were killed in a drone strike in Jordan last week near the Syrian border, where they were stationed. The U.S. officially blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq for the deadly attack, and the military has since launched rounds of airstrikes on the Iranian-backed group in Syria and Iraq in retaliation.

The U.S. on Wednesday killed a senior commander with the Iranian-backed militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah in Iraq. The commander was involved in planning attacks on American troops.

The president has kept in touch with Abdullah throughout the war to discuss the latest developments in Gaza. The two spoke Dec. 7, according to a readout from the White House.