Washington D.C. (TDI): Donald Trump, the president of the United States, pushed King Abdullah of Jordan to accept Palestinians from Gaza who would have been permanently relocated under a controversial U.S. plan during a high-stakes meeting at the White House. King Abdullah, however, strongly denounced the move, reiterating Jordan’s uncompromising stance on the displacement of Palestinians.
Alongside King Abdullah, Trump reaffirmed his goal of making Gaza a “Riviera of the Middle East” and urged that Arab countries, especially Jordan and Egypt, take in the displaced Palestinian citizens.
Trump declared, “It will be approved.” “We’re going to hold it; we’re going to cherish it,” adding that his proposal will bring stability and jobs to the area.
The Arab world has been outraged by his comments, which imply that Palestinians will be permanently prohibited from going back to their homeland.
Furthermore, King Abdullah called the idea of moving Palestinians intolerable and strongly dismissed it. He emphasized Jordan’s “unwavering approach” against any forced relocation and stressed how important it is to restore Gaza without relocating its citizens.
Concluded a constructive meeting with President Trump at the White House today. Grateful for the President’s warm welcome. We discussed Jordan’s longstanding partnership with the United States. It continues to be a partnership for stability, peace, and mutual security.
— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) February 11, 2025
Recently, King Abdullah shared a post on his social media account stating, “This is the unified Arab position,” “The reconstruction of Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the terrible humanitarian crisis should be the primary concern for all.”
Trump welcomed Jordan’s decision to take 2,000 seriously ill Palestinian children for medical care, but Abdullah maintained that Jordan would only offer humanitarian aid.
🇺🇸🇯🇴 @KingAbdullahII to President Trump: “I truly believe, with all the challenges that we have in the Middle East, that I finally see somebody that can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace, and prosperity to all of us in the region.” pic.twitter.com/vEMGCmg7OM
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 11, 2025
In addition to this, Jordan’s denial comes as the Trump administration’s 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid has left Jordan’s $1.45 billion in yearly aid in limbo, putting economic strain on Amman. Jordan is still up for review, which has further strained diplomatic ties even though Israel and Egypt were granted exemption.
Although Trump refused to use monetary aid as leverage, he said, “We send Jordan and Egypt a lot of money.” I don’t have to threaten that, though. We’re above that.
Moreover, Trump’s plan has made a precarious situation more complicated. Israel and Hamas still have a fragile ceasefire in place, but tensions are growing after Hamas claimed it would stop releasing hostages, alleging Israeli violations of the deal.
Trump responded by saying, “If Hamas does not release all hostages by Saturday, all bets are off.” As humanitarian crises escalate and diplomatic gaps widen, the future of Gaza and the Middle East is still uncertain. Additionally, there is growing opposition to Trump’s resettlement plan, while Jordan and other Arab countries are developing alternate plans to reconstruct Gaza without forcing its citizens to relocate.
