Abdullah II will also meet with senior U.S. government officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
King Abdullah II to the White House on Tuesday as pressure mounts on the Arab nation to
take in refugees from Gaza—perhaps permanently—as part of his bold plan to reshape the Middle East.
The visit comes at a dangerous time for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future hostage releases and as Trump has called on Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend.
Trump has proposed that the United States take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-ravaged territory pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.
He suggested Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold U.S. funding to Jordan and Egypt, longtime U.S. allies and among the largest recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept more Palestinians from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Jordan is home to more than two million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said last week that his country’s opposition to Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering.”
Aside from the possibility that Trump’s idea could undermine the idea of resolving the conflict by creating two states, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about hosting large numbers of additional refugees in their countries, even temporarily.
Asked how he would persuade Abdullah to accept the Palestinians, Trump told reporters: “I think he will accept, and I think other countries will accept as well. They have a good heart.”
The king will also meet with senior Trump administration officials during his visit, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He is the third foreign leader to hold an in-person meeting with Trump since his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump announced his ideas for resettling Palestinians in Gaza and taking possession of the territory during a press conference last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump initially did not rule out deploying US troops to secure Gaza, but at the same time insisted that no US funds would be used to pay for the reconstruction of the territory, raising fundamental questions about the nature of his plan.
After Trump’s initial comments, Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that Trump only wanted Palestinians to be relocated from Gaza “temporarily” and was seeking an “interim” period to allow for debris removal, disposal of unexploded ordnance and reconstruction.
But in an interview with Fox News ‘ Bret Baier that aired Monday, when asked whether Palestinians in Gaza would have the right to return to the territory under his plan, he replied: “No, they would not.”
