US President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages. Mr Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend.
Mr Trump has proposed the US take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the wartorn territory pushed into neighbouring nations with no right of return.
He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold US funding from Jordan and Egypt, long-time US allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Mr Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Jordan is home to more than two million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Mr Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said last week that his country’s opposition to Mr Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering”.
In addition to concerns about jeopardising the long-held goals of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries, even temporarily.
When asked how he would persuade Abdullah to take in Palestinians, Mr Trump told reporters: “I do think he’ll take, and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts.”
The king is meeting with top Trump administration officials during his visit, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. He is the third foreign leader to hold an in-person meeting with Mr Trump since his January 20 inauguration.
Mr Trump announced his ideas for resettling Palestinians from Gaza and taking ownership of the territory for the US during a press conference last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He initially did not rule out deploying US troops to help secure Gaza but, insisted no US funds would go to pay for the reconstruction of the territory, raising fundamental questions about the nature of his plan.
After Mr Trump’s initial comments, Mr Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that Mr Trump only wanted Palestinians relocated from Gaza “temporarily” and sought an “interim” period to allow for debris removal, the disposal of unexploded ordnance and reconstruction.
But asked in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier that aired Monday if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory under his plan, he replied: “No, they wouldn’t.”
