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Jordan Arrests Journalist Over US Aid Post
8-26-2026
Jordanian-American journalist Ali Younes faces national-security, sedition and hate-crime charges after allegedly sharing an article questioning Washington’s multibillion-dollar support for the kingdom.
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian authorities have detained and charged journalist Ali Younes, a Jordanian-American correspondent for the investigative outlet Drop Site News, over an alleged social-media repost of an article calling for reductions in U.S. financial assistance to Jordan.
Younes, a former Al Jazeera journalist, was stopped by Jordanian intelligence officers after arriving at Queen Alia International Airport on August 17. He was taken into custody for questioning and later released with instructions to appear before prosecutors in Amman, according to Drop Site News and subsequent media reports.
At a court hearing on August 24, Younes was informed that he faced charges connected to what authorities described as “undermining the national security of Jordan.” Prosecutors also added allegations of sedition and hate crimes, according to his employer. Jordanian authorities imposed a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country while the case proceeds. Drop Site says Younes could face up to one year in prison.
The case reportedly centres on an article published July 6 by The American Conservative titled “Stop Sending Billions in U.S. Aid to Jordan.” Written by journalist Aaron Magid, the article questioned the scale and continuing justification for American financial support to the kingdom and argued that Washington should substantially reduce — although not entirely eliminate — the assistance.
Whether Younes actually reposted the article has been described by Drop Site as an allegation. The organization said Younes and his lawyer were informed that authorities considered the alleged repost itself an act that threatened national security.
Drop Site has called on Jordan to drop the case and remove the travel restriction, while also urging the United States to provide assistance to Younes as an American citizen.
Billions in U.S. Assistance
The controversy places renewed attention on one of Washington’s largest and longest-running foreign-aid relationships in the Middle East.
The United States and Jordan signed a seven-year memorandum of understanding in 2022 under which Washington committed to support at least $1.45 billion in bilateral assistance annually from fiscal year 2023 through 2029 — approximately $10.15 billion over seven years, subject to congressional appropriations. The two governments have described the arrangement as supporting Jordan’s stability, economic development and strategic partnership with the United States.
The American Conservative article cited approximately $33.8 billion in U.S. assistance to Jordan over the previous 75 years and argued that the level of support deserved greater scrutiny from American taxpayers. The article also acknowledged Jordan’s value as a U.S. security partner while arguing that assistance could be reduced significantly.
Jordan occupies a strategically important position in the region. It has maintained a peace treaty with Israel since 1994, cooperates closely with Washington on security matters, hosts American military personnel and has accommodated large refugee populations from neighbouring conflicts.
For Washington and Amman, those factors have long been cited as reasons for sustained American support. For critics, however, the size of the assistance has increasingly raised questions about whether U.S. taxpayers should continue financing Jordan at current levels.
The prosecution of a journalist for allegedly circulating an article raising precisely that question has now turned a foreign-aid debate into a press-freedom controversy.
Wider Concerns Over Free Expression
Younes’ case comes amid longstanding criticism of restrictions on journalists, political activists and online speech in Jordan.
Human Rights Watch says amendments to Jordan’s Cybercrime Law adopted in 2023 expanded penalties for broadly worded offences involving online speech, including provisions relating to “fake news,” provoking strife and undermining national unity. Jordan’s National Centre for Human Rights reported 3,170 prosecutions under the amended cybercrime law in 2024, according to Human Rights Watch.
Other journalists and activists have also faced prosecution over online expression. Human Rights Watch reported that Jordan’s State Security Court sentenced political activist Ayman Sandouka to five years in prison in 2025 over a Facebook post addressed to King Abdullah concerning relations with Israel. In 2025, Jordanian authorities also blocked a number of news websites, while press-freedom organizations have repeatedly called on the government to stop using cybercrime provisions against journalists.
The charges against Younes therefore extend beyond a dispute over a single social-media post. They raise a broader question about the boundary between protecting national security and allowing journalists and citizens to circulate criticism of government policy and international relationships.
For Younes, that question is no longer theoretical.
A journalist who allegedly shared an American publication’s argument about how the United States should spend American taxpayer money is now barred from leaving Jordan and facing criminal prosecution there.
As the case moves forward, it is likely to draw scrutiny not only from press-freedom organizations, but also from Washington — the very government whose aid relationship with Jordan was at the centre of the article Younes is accused of sharing.
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