After Meeting With Trump, Jordan’s King Says His Country Opposes Displacing Palestinians In Gaza

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 11: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Jordan’s King Abdullah II (R) as he departs the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The two met as Trump has proposed that the United States take an ownership position of Gaza, transferring millions of Palestinians to neighboring countries as the area is rebuilt and developed. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House and has renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the Middle East and would require Jordan and other Arab nations to accept more refugees from Gaza — something Abdullah reiterated that he opposes. The president also suggested he wouldn’t withhold U.S. aid to Jordan or Egypt if they don’t agree to dramatically increase the number of people from Gaza they take in. That contradicts previous suggestions from Trump that aid from Washington could be held back.