Tipsheet

Jordan's King Abdullah Appears Open to Trump's Gaza Relocation Plan, but There Are Some Risks Involved

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  February 11, 2025 3:30 PM

President Donald Trump appears to have at least partially won over Jordanian King Abdullah II after their Tuesday meeting to discuss plans for the United States to take over and rebuild the Gaza Strip.

The White House has been pressuring the governments of Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians living in Gaza as part of his plan to relocate the population to other countries as the U.S. spearheads an effort to rebuild the region. Both countries have rejected the idea outright. But it appears they may come around.

On Monday, the president indicated that he is considering halting aid to both countries if they do not accept Palestinian refugees. He has also issued threats to terrorist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. The organization murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians in a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, sparking the current war in the region.

During a joint press conference after their meeting, King Abdullah stated that Jordan is willing to take in thousands of Palestinian children.

A reporter asked Trump why Jordan should agree to take in Palestinians when “He’s made clear he doesn’t want to.”

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Trump turned the conversation over to Abdullah,  who noted that “there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries” and that “the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody.”

Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of Jordan. We're going to have some interesting discussions today. I think one of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in a very ill state to Jordan as quickly as possible, and then wait for, I think, the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can work with the President to work on the kinds of challenges.

Trump praised Abdullah, saying his offer was “really a beautiful gesture.” He also expressed confidence that there will be “great progress” working with Egypt in this endeavor as well. He predicted that “with the United States being in control of that piece of land … you’re going to have stability in the Middle East for the first time and the Palestinians or the people that live now in Gaza will be living beautifully in another location.”

They’re going to be living safely. They're not going to be killed, murdered, and having to leave every ten years, because I've been watching this for so many years. It's nothing but trouble. Everyone's being killed. They're being robbed. It's like living in hell, and they're going to end up having a great home, great families that don't have to get mugged and killed and beaten up and harassed by Hamas and everybody else.

Another reporter asked Trump about how the United States plans to own the Gaza Strip after he declared that taxpayer dollars would not be used in the initiative. “So what money are you going to use to buy Gaza?” the reporter asked.

Trump responded:

We're not going to buy anything. We're going to have it, and we're going to keep it, and we're going to make sure that there's going to be peace, and there's not going to be any problem, and nobody He's going to question it, and we're going to run it very properly. And eventually, we'll have economic development at a very large scale, maybe the largest scale on that site. And we'll have lots of good things built there, including hotels and office buildings and housing and other things. And we'll make that site into what it should be.

This meeting could be a pivotal moment for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. If it’s implemented properly, it could lead to robust infrastructure projects in Gaza – especially after Israel finally eliminates Hamas. However, since Trump said on Monday that Palestinians who are relocated would not be allowed to return, it is unclear who will benefit from the rebuilding effort.

A U.S. takeover of the region could provide a level of stability. Hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians have persisted for decades, and there appears to be no end in sight. The two-state solution that is still touted by other international leaders shows no sign of materializing anytime soon, if ever. Hamas has ruled the area with an iron fist, cracking down on civilians. This means even Palestinians who want peace are prevented from pursuing it because of Hamas’ control.

On the other hand, systemically removing Palestinian civilians from their homes could open another can of worms. Even if Trump can convince, cajole, or coerce Jordan and Egypt to take in refugees, there will be a backlash on the ground, and it might not just come from a weakened Hamas. There are several other terrorist organizations that might take the opportunity to sow violence and discord in Gaza. The potential for further unrest cannot be ignored.

Either way, this is quite a risk to take – especially if the situation ends up requiring the deployment of U.S. troops to keep the peace during the rebuilding effort. There could be even more opposition from those in America who believe our government should not get this deeply involved in a foreign matter.

If history is any indication, forcibly reshaping the Middle East has never gone according to plan. Whether Trump’s plan will lead to greater stability and prosperity or ignite new conflicts remains to be seen.