WASHINGTON DC: King Abdullah II was at the White House on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his demand that Jordan permanently take in Palestinians and support the United States to take over Gaza — a plan that Trump said will “be wonderful” for the Middle East.
“You’re going to see some great progress,” Trump told the Jordanian king in front of reporters in the Oval Office ahead of their meeting. “The whole thing will come. It’s not a complex thing to do.”
He added, “You’re going to have stability in the Middle East for the first time. And the Palestinians, or the people that live now in Gaza, will be living beautifully in another location. They’re going to be living safely.”
Pressed by a reporter, Trump said that the Palestinians will live “where we ultimately choose as a group,” which could be “a parcel of land in Jordan … a parcel of land in Egypt,” and elsewhere.
Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi have rejected Trump’s plans to forcibly relocate an estimated 1.9 million Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring Jordan and Egypt so the U.S. can take over and “own” the territory.
The king declined Trump’s invitation to share his counteroffer with reporters.
“I think we have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries. We’ve been invited by [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman to discussions in Riyadh,” Abdullah said, stressing the need to find a mutually beneficial solution.
“We’re going to have some interesting discussions today,” he said, adding that Jordan is immediately prepared to take in 2,000 children who are sick with cancer and other illnesses.
Trump maintained that the United States will not be purchasing Gaza but did not elaborate on his takeover plan.
“We’re going to have it, and we’re going to keep it, and we’re going to make sure that there’s going to be peace, and there’s not going to be any problem, and nobody’s going to question it,” he said.
It’s a high-stakes meeting for Abdullah that comes as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warn that if Hamas does not return Israeli hostages by noon Saturday, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was agreed upon Jan. 19 will end.
(VOA)
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