Amman , Jordan ( CNN ) -- Controversial remarks made by the Jordanian ruling monarch to an American magazine triggered a domestic media uproar and denials from the royal palace , just days before the U.S. president was scheduled to visit Jordan . In an article published this week in The Atlantic , Jordan 's King Abdullah was quoted calling the opposition Muslim Brotherhood a `` Masonic cult . '' He also referred to tribal elders as `` old dinosaurs '' and spoke at length about how he could not trust his own intelligence agency . The profile quickly triggered a flurry of accusations and denials inside Jordan . It was debated on national television news Tuesday night , and denials from the royal court dominated the front pages of Jordanian newspapers . `` The article ... contained many fallacies , as statements were taken out of context , '' an informed royal court source said in a statement quoted by the state-run Petra news agency . `` The content of the article was analysis that reflected the writer 's point of view and information attributed to his majesty inaccurately and in a dishonest manner , '' the statement said . `` The timing of it was really bad , '' said journalist and analyst Randa Habib , who is also the author of the book `` Hussein and Abdullah : Inside the Jordanian Royal Family . '' `` The group that he called dinosaurs are the tribal elders who are the backbone of the monarchy , '' she added . `` People felt they were insulted . '' U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday -- his first trip to the country as president and part of his sweep across the Middle East , which will include visits to the West Bank and Jordan . Unlike Egypt , Tunisia , Yemen , Libya and Syria , the Jordanian monarchy has so far survived the wave of popular discontent widely referred to as the Arab Spring . But the government has faced significant challenges over the past two years . Jordan , a country long plagued by resource shortages , poverty and high unemployment , is going through a period of economic difficulty . In an effort to tame its ballooning international debt , the government began stripping fuel subsidies last fall . The move triggered nationwide protests in November . Jordanians have also watched with increasing worry as the civil war in neighboring Syria has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming across the border . More than 450,000 officially registered Syrian refugees are now competing with Jordanians for scarce jobs , real estate and even water .
Jordan is quoted calling the opposition CNN a `` Masonic cult He also reportedly refers to tribal elders as `` old dinosaurs '' The article quickly triggered a flurry of accusations and denials inside King Abdullah . U.S. president is due to visit Jordan during his trip to Atlantic .