Jordan will most likely comply with Washington's calls to reinstate a ban on banks dealing with six Palestinian Hamas officials despite domestic uproar, analysts and parliamentary deputies said today.
They said the kingdom would not jeopardise its political and economic interests with Washington - its major aid donor of an annual $450 million and with which it enjoys a free trade deal, the only Arab state to have secured such an agreement.
Jordan chose to backtrack last week on a move to stop banks dealing with six officials from Hamas and five Palestinian charities abroad after public dismay.
Washington criticised the reversal and urged Jordan to restore the ban, saying shutting off the flow of funds to Hamas was crucial in reducing its ability to conduct "terrorist" attacks and its activities that thwart the peace process.
In another apparent signal of regional compliance with Washington and the EU's stance, Lebanon said it had ordered banks to disclose any accounts linked to the six Hamas leaders.
Cheap Iraqi oil supplies to Jordan - which last year were worth at least $750 million, half of it free and half at a discount - were halted after the US-led war on Iraq.
The Jordanian government said the initial ban was issued without its knowledge but analysts said it was now planning to impose it discreetly to avoid reaction in the pro-Palestinian country, already angered by new heights in Middle East tension.
Jordan's most powerful opposition group, the Islamic Action Front Party (IAF), and a majority of MPs denounced the ban. Some called on Central Bank Governor Mr Umayya Toukan to resign.