Jordan’s King Abdullah II Rejects Trump’s Gaza Resettlement Plan
Following a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has again strongly opposed the relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
During the discussion with Trump, King Abdullah "reaffirmed Jordan’s unwavering stance against the displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," the King wrote on Twitter. He emphasized that this position is shared by all Arab nations.
The Jordanian monarch stressed that the priority should be on rebuilding the Gaza Strip and addressing its dire humanitarian situation. "We need to find a path that works for all," he said after the meeting.
King Abdullah announced that Egypt would present a plan for cooperation with the US on this issue. According to Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, an Egyptian-Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction would exclude the displacement of Palestinians.
In contrast to international criticism, Trump reiterated his intention to place the Gaza Strip under US control and relocate its Palestinian inhabitants during the conversation. "We’re going to take it," Trump said about the Gaza Strip. "We’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it."
Trump claimed that the reconstruction of Gaza would create "many jobs for people in the Middle East" in the long run. He also threatened to withhold aid payments to Jordan and Egypt if they did not support his resettlement plan.
Trump’s remarks contradicted his own statement from Monday, in which he stated that the US intended to "purchase and own" the Gaza Strip. "We’re going to have Gaza. We don’t have to buy it," he now said. "There’s nothing to buy – it’s Gaza. It’s a piece of land that’s been devastated by war." The US, he said, would simply "take" Gaza.
Prior to the meeting with Trump, King Abdullah, like other regional leaders, had condemned the proposed relocation plan and refused to allow Palestinians to settle in Jordan, which already hosts around two million Palestinian refugees.
However, Abdullah stated that Jordan was "ready to immediately" accept up to 2,000 sick children from Gaza. He reaffirmed his support for the two-state solution, which is also backed by other Arab states and Western countries like Australia.
Currently, the details of Trump’s resettlement plan, including the number of Palestinians to be relocated, the destination, the timeframe, and the mechanisms for US control over Gaza, remain unclear. Trump has stated that his plan does not include a right of return for Palestinians.
Despite this, he told King Abdullah during their meeting, "I think it’ll be a great thing for the Palestinians. They’re going to love it." He envisioned hotels, apartments, and offices in the Gaza Strip.
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