Jordanian parliament fires deputy who wrote to Saudi Crown Prince

MP Mohammad Al Fayez said the kingdom should stop aid to Jordan

Mohammad Al Fayez wrote a controversial letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: Mohammad Al Fayez / Facebook

Jordan's parliament fired an MP on Wednesday for “disfiguring the kingdom's reputation”, its official news agency said.

The deputy, Mohammad Al Fayez, wrote a letter last month to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asking him to stop aid to Jordan.

Mr Al Fayez, who belongs to one of the kingdom's largest tribes, resigned three weeks ago after making the letter public.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest donors to aid-dependent Jordan, contributing billions of dollars over the past two decades. Most of the aid from the kingdom has been channelled through direct cash injections into Jordan's budget, fiscal loans or infrastructure projects.

But relations between the two countries have also had ups and downs.

Saudi Arabia has intercepted dozens of shipments of Captagon from Syria and Lebanon, some of which has come through Jordan. While Jordan has upped its efforts to shut smuggling routes, it continues to be an issue.

Mohamad Al Fayez during a visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2021. SPA

All significant powers in Jordan lie with King Abdullah II, who inherited power from his father, King Hussein, in 1999.

The government is responsible for administering the king's will, while the 128-member elected parliament overwhelmingly comprises government deputies who come from the country's tribes.