Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Tuesday (Feb 11), to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Advertisment

“One of the things we can do right away” is bring 2,000 children who are in a “very ill state” to Jordan as quickly as possible, King Abdullah said.

In response to the offer, Trump said: "That’s a really beautiful gesture."

Also read: Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon pleads guilty to fraud, receives conditional discharge

Advertisment

“The president is looking at Egypt coming to present their plan, we will be in Saudi Arabia to disucss how we can work with the president and with the United States,” the King said.

“So I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves,” he added.

Asked about taking in Palestinians, Jordan’s King Abdullah said, "We have to keep in mind how do we make this work that is in everyone’s best interest."

Advertisment

Jordan King also added that he has to do what is best for his country when he was asked whether there is a parcel of land where Palestinians can live in Jordan.

Also read: 'Respecting truce only way to bring hostages back', Hamas warns Trump after US president's ultimatum

Trump's Gaza plan

His comments came as Trump pushed his suggestion of relocating all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighbouring Jordan and Egypt, to transform Gaza into a luxury destination. The US president had proposed turning the territory into a high-end "Riviera."

Revealing more about his plan, the US president said that he would not personally develop property in Gaza. "Palestinians will live safely in another location that is not Gaza. We will run Gaza very properly, we’re not going to buy it," Trump said.

Also read: 'Stick to Catholic Church': Trump’s border czar fires back at Pope Francis over immigration criticism

Prior to his discussion with Trump, King Abdullah had met with some of the president’s advisers, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

The visit comes at a critical time for the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the truce and announced it will suspend further hostage releases. Meanwhile, Trump has told Israel to resume its military operations if all captives are not freed by the weekend.

Trump has put forward a plan for the US to take control of Gaza and develop it as "the Riviera of the Middle East." His proposal involves relocating Palestinians to neighbouring countries, without offering them the right to return.

Also read: Gaza reconstruction needs at least USD 53 billion, UN says

On Monday, he indicated that he might cut US financial aid to Jordan and Egypt—both key American allies and major recipients of US assistance—if they refused to accept more displaced Palestinians from Gaza.

“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump said when asked about the possibility of withholding aid. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”

Jordan, which already hosts more than two million Palestinians, has firmly rejected Trump’s relocation plan, as have other Arab nations.

(With inputs from agencies)