President Trump on Tuesday dug in on his vision for a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip as he sat alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan, who expressed reservations about the idea.
Trump met in the Oval Office with Abdullah along with his son and heir, where the president remained adamant that Palestinians did not want to live in Gaza and would welcome relocating to Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere. That idea has been met with opposition from the greater Arab region as well as Turkey and other foreign allies.
And Trump insisted the United States would “have” Gaza, while offering few specifics on how it would acquire the territory without spending any money or deploying troops.
“We’re not going to have to buy. We’re going to have Gaza . We don’t have to buy. There’s nothing to buy. We will have Gaza,” Trump told reporters. “It’s a war-torn area. We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it…It’s going to be for the people in the MIddle East. But I think it could be a diamond.”
One aspect of Trump’s plan that has run into stiff opposition in the Arab world is his declaration that Palestinians would relocate to Jordan and Egypt while Gaza is rebuilt. He has also offered mixed signals about the long-term fate of Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Trump was again insistent that Palestinians did not want to live in Gaza.
“It’s not where I want them to live, it’s going to be where we ultimately choose as a group. And I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Jordan. I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Egypt. We may have some place else,” Trump said. “But when we finish our talks they’re going to have a place where they live very happily and very safely.”
“They don’t want to be in the Gaza Strip. But they have no choice. They have to be,” Trump added.
The king of Jordan sought to temper expectations around Trump’s proposal during their meeting, saying Egypt and other Arab nations expect to present a proposal to the United States but not just yet in an attempt to slow Trump’s roll on the idea.
“This is something that we as Arabs will be coming to the United States with something that we’re going to talk about later to discuss all these options,” Abdullah said.
Abdullah extended an olive branch to Trump early in the meeting, praising the president as “somebody that can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace and prosperity to all of us in the region.”
Abdullah also said Jordan would accept 2,000 sick Palestinian children, which Trump praised as a “beautiful gesture.”
Trump in turn sought to back pedal remarks he made the day before over whether he would threaten aid to Jordan and Egypt if they were not on board with his plan to relocate Palestinians that remain in Gaza.
Trump sent shockwaves through the Middle East last week when he proposed the United States would take control of the Gaza Strip and rebuild it.
Leaders in the region have said efforts to displace Palestinians or move them into neighboring countries are a nonstarter. Egypt and Jordan — countries with peace treaties with Israel — oppose absorbing more Palestinians, claiming it poses a security risk, is destabilizing and threatens to provoke mass opposition.
Jordan already houses about 3 million Palestinians, many of whom have been displaced by prior wars. Egypt announced Sunday it would host a summit of Arab nations on Feb. 27 to discuss the latest developments around the future of Palestinians, according to The Associated Press.
