- President Donald Trump and Jordanian King Abdullah II met to discuss the war in Gaza.
- Trump doubled down on plan to take control of the Gaza Strip.
- Abdullah, who could help Trump achieve his vision by taking in more Palestinian refugees, is hesitant to OK any solution but a two-state model.
In a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Donald Trump spoke about his plan to redevelop Gaza — which could only happen if other countries, like Jordan, take in more refugees, according to The Associated Press.
At the White House Tuesday, Abdullah pledged to take in 2,000 sick children in addition to the 2 million Palestinian refugees they already house.
He also expressed gratitude for Trump’s intervention efforts up to this point.
“This requires US leadership. President Trump is a man of peace,” Abdullah posted to X. “He was instrumental in securing the Gaza ceasefire. We look to US and all stakeholders in ensuring it holds.”
Nevertheless, Abdullah recommitted his opposition to a takeover of Gaza by the U.S. and stressed his belief in a two-state solution.
“I think we have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries. We’re being invited by Mohammed bin Salman to discussions in Riyadh. I think the point is is, how do we make this good for everybody,” Abdullah affirmed at the meeting, per ABC News.
He signaled that he would wait for Egypt to present its vision for Gaza’s recovery before making further plans.
Trump talks about his plans for Gaza
In a Fox News interview that aired Monday night, Trump said that people leaving Gaza will “not have a right to return,” saying he thinks they’ll have better housing elsewhere, while setting expectations for Jordan and Egypt to resettle Palestinians, according to NBC News.
“(Gaza is) a death trap,” Trump said in justification. “They are living in hell.”
Tuesday, Trump told White House correspondents that the U.S. “will have Gaza” and that the U.S. has “authority” over the region — and said during his meeting with Abdullah that America would not have to purchase land, that “there’s going to peace and there’s not going to be any problem, and nobody’s going to question it,” according to CNN.
Trump also floated that Gaza’s development plan might include the construction of permanent housing for Palestinians to which they could one day return, per CBS News.
This suggestion came amid his multiple other statements that Palestinians must leave the Gaza Strip and may not return.
Abdullah had previously rejected this proposal, including taking in more refugees. In response, on Monday, Trump suggested he would cut off American aid to Jordan — which amounts to over $1 billion each year, according to NBC News.
Though Jordan has expressed that it is at capacity after accepting refugees from Syria, Gaza and other places, the Hashemite Kingdom also depends on U.S. spending for humanitarian aid and terrorism suppression, including defense funding targeting ISIS interests.
State of the ceasefire
Though the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is still in the first of three stages, it already hangs together by just a thread.
Hamas has postponed the release of additional hostages, after receiving criticism for the state of hostages who’ve been released, alleging that Israel broke the ceasefire deal, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Specifically, Hamas claims that Israel is not allowing Palestinians to return to Gaza and is blocking relief efforts.
In response, Israel has begun to re-prepare its military. Trump has urged them to break the ceasefire and repeated his promise that “all hell (will) break out” if Hamas does not release the remainder of its hostages by Saturday, Feb. 15, per CNN.
Hamas has called its statement a “warning” and says it has given Israel enough time to fulfill the terms of the deal before Saturday, if it so chooses.
Hamas still holds 76 hostages, per NPR. Sixteen have been freed already and three more will be released this Saturday if the ceasefire holds.
Three male hostages were released by Hamas last Saturday in haggard condition, triggering outrage and horror from Israel and its allies.
The second six-week stage would involve Hamas releasing hostages in exchange for prisoners released by Israel and remaining Israeli soldiers departing from Gaza. In the third stage, Hamas would release the bodies of deceased hostages, and Israel would end the blockade on Gaza if Hamas refrains from rearming itself.
