King Abdullah II of Jordan became the first Arab leader to meet Donald Trump in the White House since the second term of the US president began on January 20th.
However, Tuesday’s sit-in with Trump put Abdullah in sensitive circumstances.
Although Jordan and the United States have historically had strong ties, Trump accepts Abdullah and his government to accept Palestinians who have fled the war-torn Gaza that Israel has been carrying out military attacks since October 2023. I repeatedly applied pressure.
Meanwhile, the US says it will “take over and “own” Gaza, which has empty residents, critics believe it is equivalent to ethnic cleansing.
“That’s not complicated,” Trump said again Tuesday. “The United States controls the land – a pretty big land – you’ll be stable in the Middle East for the first time.”
Jordan and its allied Egypt refused to accept Palestinians who had been forced to evacuate.
The Abdullah meeting came as Gaza’s recent ceasefire has been clarified. Israel threatened that if Palestinian group Hamas does not release all prisoners by Saturday, it is behind comments from Trump himself to resume bombing on Saturday.
However, Abdullah contradicted directly with Trump during their meeting, instead hinting at alternative plans to be revealed by Egypt.
Below are some of the important takeaways from the meeting between Abdullah and Trump.
Trump will double Gaza’s acquisition plan (again)
Within the oval office, journalists asked Trump about comments that once the US takes over Gaza, Palestinians living there would be moved elsewhere and not be entitled to return.
He was direct to his response, and the incredible nature of some questions seemed deaf. Yes, the US will rule Gaza and rebuild it. Yes, the Palestinians who have lived there for generations – many of them will already be refugees from today’s Israel – to Jordan and Egypt’s “land plots.”
“We’re going to take it. We’ll hold it. We’ll cherish it. Trump, without giving details, ultimately, many jobs are for the Middle Eastern people. I intend to proceed with it in a place where it is created.
Trump has also doubled his threat that a ceasefire with Israel would end if Hamas leaders did not release the remaining Israeli prisoners for the next four days.
“Personally, I don’t think they’re going to close,” Trump said. “They want to play tough guys. They’ll see how tough they are.”
He added that he would not accept a slower timeline.
Trump announced the deadline a day ago, in a seemingly cuff comment with a reporter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflects Trump’s threat, and the army that has already killed more than 61,700 Palestinians since 2023 will be bombing campaigns in Gaza if Israeli prisoners are not released It warns that it would recommend.
One issue that seemed to have retreated, at least in front of Abdullah and cameras, was his threat that he could withhold aid from Jordan and Egypt if he disagrees with his Gaza evacuation plan.
“I don’t need to threaten that,” Trump said. “We believe we’re beyond that.”
Abdullah is diplomatic, but Arab countries say there are plans for Gaza
In his encounter with Trump, the Jordanian monarch was facing difficult tasks. How did he repeat his country’s opposition to Trump’s Gaza plan without angering the president, who is not known for his tolerance towards opposition?
Ultimately, Abdullah chose to avoid talking too much in front of the media. And when he did so, his language was carefully and accurate, designed to avoid attacks.
When asked whether Jordan would drive Palestinians out of Gaza, the Jordanian leader said he would do the “best” thing for his country.
In a social media post after the meeting, he described Jordan as “unshakable” in its “position to Palestinian movement in Gaza and the West Bank.”
He added that Arab countries will come up with their own plans for Gaza. He also flattened Trump and said:
After the meeting, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said there is an Arab plan to rebuild Gaza without stoking people away.
Some observers believe Trump’s Gaza plan is a negotiation tactic and that Arab countries can come up with counter offers.
Trump focuses on real estate, not Palestinian attachment to the land
Of course, the US president has roots in the real estate business.
Much of Trump’s money came from the real estate empire he inherited from his father, and he later used his last name to license products with the same name and held reality television shows.
However, some of these property trends bleed in the language he used when describing his Gaza plan on Tuesday.
“I had a great career in real estate,” Trump said fondly. “When you do what I did, when you’re the president, you can do better for people.”
Trump explained that Gaza could become a “diamond” in the Middle East. However, when asked Tuesday if he would consider purchasing Gaza as part of his acquisition plan, Trump rejected it.
“We’re not going to buy it. There’s nothing to buy,” Trump said. “There’s Gaza. There’s no reason to buy it. It’s Gaza. It’s a war-torn area.”
Critics say his vision for Gaza – redeveloped in a hotel, office, and “Riviera” vibe – appears to have divorced from the politics of the region. The Palestinians have endured for a long time to force them out of the rest of the land, despite decades of Israeli occupation.
On Tuesday, Trump once again stressed that Palestinians didn’t want to stay in Gaza, appearing to ignore their attachment to the land.
That nationalism was seen recently when hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians used a ceasefire to return to northern Gaza, even if most of their homes were destroyed by Israel. Most of them traveled on foot.
Their message was simple. That means they had no intention of leaving again.
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