Jordan’s King Abdullah II has received an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump on February 11. The announcement of the invitation coincided with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure for Washington aboard the government-owned Wing of Zion plane for his official visit. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday.
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Trump’s meeting with King Hussein in 2018
(Photo: AP)
Trump first raised the proposal last week following the second round of hostage releases of the first phase of the hostage deal. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he described Gaza as a “massive demolition site” and argued that rebuilding it would require relocating its residents to Jordan or Egypt. He suggested this could serve as a long-term solution rather than just a temporary measure. “This involves moving 1.5 million people and simply clearing out the entire place,” Trump said.
So far, despite early support for the idea among Israeli right-wing factions, strong opposition from Palestinians, as well as from Jordan and Egypt, has made the plan appear unfeasible. It is also unclear how seriously Trump intends to pursue the proposal, as even one of his closest allies, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, has expressed significant doubts about its viability.
On Saturday, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s push for the migration of Palestinians out of Gaza to neighboring countries – a proposal he has repeatedly mentioned over the past week.
“We emphasize that we reject the idea of displacing Palestinians from their land for any reason,” the statement read. It was released following a meeting in Cairo between foreign ministers of several nations and Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee.
The joint statement also expressed the countries’ willingness to work with the Trump administration “to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on a two-state solution.” The representatives said they discussed efforts to support the Palestinian cause and maintain the cease-fire in Gaza. Among the issues raised was the “mechanism” that would enable the Palestinian Authority to carry out its responsibilities in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, that “Egypt’s task in confronting Trump’s plan will not be easy unless it receives Arab support, given Trump’s insistence on advancing his proposal.”
The report also revealed that a senior Trump administration official visited Cairo last week to hold discussions about the plan. According to the report from Doha, Egyptian officials who met with the American representative expressed Cairo’s concerns and warned of potential consequences if Trump’s plan is implemented.
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