By James Matthews, US correspondent

There was a time for telling Donald Trump to run along – a news conference in the Oval office wasn’t it. 

Jordan’s King Abdullah respected the decorum of their joint appearance with a polite nod to the elephant in the room.

When he was asked about Trump’s plan for displaced Palestinians to be decanted into his country, the Jordanian leader didn’t say no but he didn’t say yes. 

He threw Trump a bone by revealing Jordan would take 2,000 children suffering from cancer but was less forthcoming on the bigger question. 

He spoke of working together with Egypt and the Saudis and stressed the involvement of the Arab collective. 

He repeated it when he rejected the Trump plan – that came following the meeting, when he wrote on X of a “steadfast position” against the displacement of Palestinians. 

“This is the unified Arab position,” he posted. 

In the search for solutions in the Middle East, it was ‘thanks, but no thanks’ from the veteran to the ‘rookie’. 

It leaves Jordan’s leader in something of a bind, as it does his Arab counterparts. 

Sending Palestinians to Jordan or Egypt is a non-starter, they have made that clear. 

 For one thing, it would signal an end to the Palestinian cause. 

Jordan has already accommodated tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees as a result of Middle east strife. 

Taking in more risks modifying a country’s identity, tilting it towards a Palestinian state and inducing societal tensions.

Anti-Israeli sentiment would likely gain traction from a Palestinian influx into a country that shares a border with Israel. 

It would risk increased vulnerabilities on the border and heighten the danger of instability. 

Jordan is a friend to Israel and to the United States in terms of countering Iran. 

America benefits from intelligence sharing from Jordan and US troops are also at a number of bases in the country. 

It is a friend to the United States in a troubled region and, as such, King Abdullah has bargaining power in his relationship with Trump. 

King Abdullah will hope it sees him through the early days of his relationship with Donald Trump.
For the transactional president, he’s got something to sell.
He will hope it buys him time, at least.