King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Donald Trump at the White House on Gaza Resettlement of Palestinians

King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Donald Trump at the White House on Gaza Resettlement of Palestinians

Washington – On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House as he escalates pressure on Arab countries to accept refugees from Gaza. As part of Trump's plan, he has proposed turning Gaza into "the Riviera of the Middle East," where Palestinians from the war-torn region would be relocated to neighboring countries, and they would have no right of return.

However, to implement this plan, Trump has threatened to reduce U.S. aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not agree to take in more Palestinian refugees. He told reporters on Monday, “Yeah, maybe. Why not? If they don’t, I could withhold aid.”

Meanwhile, Jordan and Egypt have strongly rejected Trump's plan due to security concerns, as they are hesitant to accept more refugees. Jordan is already hosting over 2 million Palestinian refugees, and its Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said last week, "Jordan's position is firm and unwavering."

Amid rising tensions over the Gaza ceasefire, Trump's plan has gained momentum as Hamas has accused Israel of violating the truce and has suspended discussions on further humanitarian aid and the release of hostages from Gaza.

President Trump, who announced his resettlement plan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint press conference last week, is facing multiple questions regarding his plan for Gaza's reconstruction. He has opposed using U.S. funds for Gaza’s reconstruction and has not ruled out sending U.S. troops to secure Gaza, even though he has denied Palestinians the right to return.