President Trump's controversial plans for a "Riviera of the Middle East"—ie, the Gaza Strip, after it's been stripped of its Palestinian residents—is sure to be a topic of conversation on Tuesday when Jordan leader King Abdullah II visits the White House. Both Egypt and Jordan, which Trump has suggested take in Palestinian refugees, have balked at his "audacious" proposal, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi noting last week that his nation is "firm and unwavering" in its rejection, per the AP. Trump, however, has said he'd consider withholding aid to the two nations, and he said on Monday that Abdullah seems persuadable. "I do think he'll take, and I think other countries will take also," Trump said. "They have good hearts." More:
- Friction: The meeting between Trump and the king will likely be a "tense" one, with Abdullah expected to inform the US president that he's against the Palestinian resettlement plan because it could "spur radicalism, spread chaos in the region, jeopardize peace with Israel, and threaten the country's very survival," per Reuters.
- Dilemma: Still, Abdullah, the longest currently serving leader in the Mideast, is in somewhat of a "bind," per the New York Times, which notes the king would possibly be sacrificing $1.5 billion-plus in aid—plus even more for Jordan's intel services—that's funneled to his country every year from the US. At the same time, "King Abdullah cannot go along with [Trump's plan]," says Paul Salem, VP for international engagement at DC's Middle East Institute. "He cannot survive the idea that he's colluding on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians."
- Context: Some 2 million Palestinian refugees are already in Jordan—about a fifth of the nation's population—many of whom fled there during Israel's founding in 1948 and the subsequent 1967 war, per the Washington Post. A potential Palestinian majority in Jordan has triggered worries that the power structure could be destabilized.
- Safe haven? The BBC notes Jordan, "a tiny superpower of stability surrounded by the Middle East's many conflicts," has taken in other refugees over the years, including Iraqis in the early aughts, as well as Syrians a decade later, bringing Jordan to its "boiling point," per Abdullah. "Any war that happens near us, we become worse off, because we're a country that helps and takes people in," a Jordanian day laborer tells the UK broadcaster. Another adds: "I'm four months without a job. I have no money, no food. If Gazans come, we will die."
- Viable plan? CNN wonders if Trump is serious with his plan, or if this is simply a negotiating tactic to get closer to Mideast peace. The outlet's conclusion: "Nothing [Trump] has said about the Gaza plan in the week since he first uttered it aloud ... suggests it is anything but an earnest strategy."
(Egypt
will host an emergency summit at the end of the month to address Trump's Gaza proposal.)
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