During a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump reiterated his plan for the United States to take control of Gaza while the Arab residents would be relocated to Jordan and Egypt. The proposal, which the King argued would create political instability in his country and the region, came as Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas, threatening that “all bets are off” if it does not release all remaining Israeli hostages by Saturday.
According to a Royal Court statement, before his meeting with the US president, “His Majesty emphasized to journalists that achieving stability, peace, and prosperity in the region is a shared responsibility. He stated that Egypt and other Arab nations would present a plan for Gaza, highlighting the need for a solution that considers the interests of all parties, particularly the people of the region, with special attention to the Jordanian people.”
Trump reiterated his stance that the United States would take control of Gaza. “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it,” he told reporters.
King Abdullah carefully avoided engaging in the discussion––much like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a week ago. The king had to be cognizant of the $1.5 billion in annual aid to Jordan that President Trump is expected to dispense over the next four years. However, with all the eyes in the Middle East on him, including the “Palestinians” who constitute some 80% of his own country, Abdullah could not agree publicly to Trump’s demand that Jordan take in a million Gazans.
As a gesture of goodwill, King Abdullah told Trump his country would take in some 2,000 sick children from Gaza. “I think one of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children, cancer children who are in a very ill state, that is possible,” Abdullah told the president.
Trump continued to frame his plan for taking over Gaza as a real estate deal, drawing on his decades of experience as a developer.
“I think it’s going to be something that’s going to be magnificent for the Palestinians… They’re going to love it, too,” Trump said. “I did very well with real estate. I can tell you about real estate. They’re going to be in love.”
He also said he didn’t need to threaten to cut off aid to Jordan and Egypt to convince them to accept Gaza’s residents. “We do contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that. I think we’re above that,” he said.
The King expressed his gratitude for President Trump’s crucial role in securing the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The meeting also addressed developments in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, with the King emphasizing the importance of taking the necessary steps to prevent the situation from worsening, according to the Royal Court’s statement.
