Jordans King Abdullah II, the first Middle Eastern leader to meet with President Donald Trump given that he revealed his objective to take over the Gaza Strip, deflected concerns about the plan to displace Palestinians as he tried to prevent a public face-to-face conflict with Trump.Abdullah, who dismissed Trumps Gaza proposal when it was announced recently, told Trump at the White House on Tuesday with members of journalism in the space that he would accept 2,000 ill Palestinian children from Gaza while punting the question of broader resettlement to Egypt.Trump, who threatened Monday to withhold U.S.
help to Jordan if the country continued its opposition to taking in masses of Palestinians of all ages, appeared soothed by the kings more restricted overture throughout Tuesdays Oval Office meeting.Thats truly a lovely gesture.
Thats really great, and we appreciate it, Trump said.
Thats music to my ears.The tactical relocation by Abdullah whose nation is the third-largest recipient of U.S.
aid and adamantly opposed to becoming a homeland for displaced Palestinians might prosper in reducing tensions in between the 2 allies while purchasing more time.Theres broad opposition to moving Palestinians out of Gaza in Jordan and throughout all Arab countries in the region.
But Egypt and other countries are coordinating a local method targeted at satisfying Trumps desire to require a resolution to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has actually been wrecked by 15 months of war with Israel.Abdullah was careful to articulate a more comprehensive determination to work with Trump, flattering him by recommending the president could be a historical peacemaker.With all the difficulties that we have in the Middle East, I finally see somebody who can take us throughout the finish line to bring stability, peace and prosperity to everyone in the area, Abdullah stated while seated next to Trump.
It is our collective duty in the Middle East to continue to deal with you, to support you, to attain those lofty goals.Abdullah demurred when asked straight about whether he wanted the U.S.
to take control of the Gaza Strip, suggesting he required to wait till Egypt provided its strategy.
Trump stated last week he wanted to control the area and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East, though authorities inside the administration state they have actually not drafted an actual plan.During the general public part of his meeting with Jordans king, Trump offered no ground on his proposition to relocate nearly 2 million Palestinians and for the U.S.
to lead a private redevelopment project in Gaza, although he struggled to discuss how America would manage the location or under what authority, specifying flatly and falsely that no one would question it.Trump likewise revealed optimism that his strategy, which numerous in the area view as ethnic cleaning, would bring peace to a region long at war.Its going to exercise, Trump stated, assuring that Palestinians will be living wonderfully in another location.Most significantly for Jordans king, Trump backed away from his hazard just a day previously to withhold aid.We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way.
A lot to both, the president said.
I do not have to threaten that, I think were above that.Trump did not back off his more bellicose position towards the armed Hamas group, which he threatened with all hell should Hamas not return 9 more hostages by Saturday as promised.
He recommended that the group appeared to be playing adorable and said they were attempting to be bullies.A bully, Trump included, is the weakest person.But Trumps own demand and threatening rhetoric might help Israel produce a pretext for ending the delicate cease-fire with Hamas.
And regardless of Abdullahs mindful diplomacy at the White House, Trumps unbending commitment to a strategy critics have actually described as disingenuous and impractical is threatening broader stability across the Middle East, and putting a variety of Arab allies in a difficult position.Jordan, for example, has experienced years of tensions between residents of Palestinian descent and those who are not.
As Trump spoke at length about his vision for the Middle East, Abdullah, blinking greatly, offered no pushback with the press in the room.Marwan Muasher, a previous Jordanian foreign minister who helped negotiate Jordans 1994 peace treaty with Israel, stated recently that accepting masses of Palestinians is a non-starter for his nation and would represent an existential risk.
This is not an economic or a security problem for Jordan, its an identity problem, Muasher said.Beyond that, numerous Jordanians understanding to the predicament of Gazans fear that accepting Trumps proposition would be tantamount to giving up on the creation of a Palestinian state and rejecting Palestinians right of return to land they got away in 1948 and 1967.
Those problems are at the heart of a bill presented in the Jordanian parliament recently to ban the resettlement of Palestinians in the kingdom.
The draft law, according to the text, declares Jordans authorities and popular rejection of any plan to displace Palestinians to Jordan as an alternative homeland.
Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians.Ahmed Sharawi, a Middle East professional at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, predicted that Abdullah would caution Trump more straight behind closed doors that his resettlement concept will destabilize the Middle East, jeopardize Jordans peace with Israel, and even threaten the kingdoms stability.But because taking office for the second time, Trump has actually revealed little restraint in his efforts to pressure allies to consent to his terms.
Asked in the Oval Office under what legal authority the U.S.
could take control of Gaza, a sovereign territory, the president explained he wasnt concerned.He responded: Under the U.S.
authority.(Source: Politico)