The British decided to take the opportunity presented by the war between Ibn Saud, the Sultan of the Nejd, and the Shareef of Makkah to provide the newly formed Kingdom of Transjordan with access to the Red Sea. They saw Transjordan, which they had created and whose King they had appointed, as a most useful element in the power they exercised over the region, and for Transjordan to fulfill its role fully, a port was essential.
Aqabah, a thriving port at the north end of the Red Sea and at the northern extremity of the Hijaz, had in the past been administered by the Shareef of Makkah. While his brother Ali was under siege in Jeddah, Abdullah, son of Husain bin Ali and now King of Transjordan, annexed the thriving port.
At the time, Ali made a few wry comments about fraternal loyalty.
