Jordan's royals have become the first heads of state from the Arab world to meet face-to-face with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump.
Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania attended Trump's prayer breakfast in Washington D.C. last week, before meeting with the US president. ISIS and Israeli settlements were reported to be centerpieces of the discussion.
Trump told King Abdullah that the U.S. is committed to the "stability, security and prosperity" of Jordan and said that the kingdom is a “model of tolerance and moderation", according to a White House statement.
In a speech following the prayer breakfast, and possibly in a dig at some of Trump's Islamophobic policies, King Abdullah highlighted the "beautiful gifts" of Islam.
He said the global religion "commands mercy and tolerance, calls on us to honor the dignity of every person, forbids coercion in religion, and demands respect for the houses of God."
"Tolerance, mercy, compassion for others, mutual respect — these principles unite and strengthen a civilized world," King Abdullah said.
After the meeting between the two heads of state, Trump's administration appears to have taken a step back on its support for Israeli settlements, suggesting they may be a hindrance to a peace agreement.
The king was met with a "positive reaction by the new US administration, which has asserted that an increase in Israel's settlement activity would impede the peace process in the region and efforts under way to resume the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations," Jordan's Senate President Faisal Al Fayez said, according to The Jordan Times.
While King Abdullah is the first Arab head of state to meet with Trump since his election, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the new U.S. president while Trump was just a candidate.
Sisi has voiced continued support and respect for Trump, and the American president has returned the praise, promising to be a "loyal friend" to Egypt.