Trump signals he won’t budge on Gaza takeover plan as he meets Jordan’s king
The US president said his plan – which is opposed by Washington’s Arab allies, including Jordan – would ‘bring peace’ to the Middle East
Donald Trump on Tuesday pressed Jordan’s King Abdullah to take in Palestinians who would be permanently displaced under the American president’s plan for the US to take over the Gaza Strip, even as the king said his country was firmly opposed to the move.
Speaking alongside the Arab country’s ruler in the White House, Trump signalled he would not budge on his idea that involves moving the Gaza Strip’s shell-shocked residents and transforming the war-ravaged territory into what he billed a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Trump has infuriated the Arab world by saying that Palestinians would not be able to return to their homes under his proposal to redevelop the enclave, which has been devastated by an Israeli offensive.
“We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it. We’re going to get it going eventually, where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East,” Trump said in the Oval Office, saying his plan would “bring peace” to the region.
King Abdullah said later that he reiterated to Trump Jordan’s “steadfast position” against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, as well as in the occupied West Bank that borders his country.
“This is the unified Arab position,” he said in a post on social media. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”