Washington – Jordan's King Abdullah II, Long one of the closest allies in the United States, visited the White House on Tuesday to say President Trump, why a mass injury from the Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan is not only illegal, but also mean a disaster for the Hashemis Kingdom could.
Abdullah sits next to Trump in the White House and said that it was “our collective responsibility in the Middle East to continue to work with them and support them in order to achieve“ stability, peace and prosperity to us all in the region. “”
But the king would not appeal to the most impressive elements of Trump's latest proposal for the Gaza Strip, who announced days before Abdullah's arrival when Trump had host the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump announced last week that the United States would confiscate the Gaza Strip and monitor the forced shift of almost 2 million Palestinians.
Trump said that they should be resettled in Jordan and Egypt, an idea that is rejected by these two nations, Palestinians and the international community, which would consider an action as an ethnic cleaning. On Tuesday, Abdullah would only say that Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia would create a “plan” to present Washington.
The question of the Palestinian refugees cuts deep in Jordan. About 750,000 Palestinians were shown – some of whom fled to Jordan – during what Arab designated as a Nakba from 1948 or “catastrophe” as Israel was created. Another 300,000 refugees flocked to the Kingdom after the Middle East War of 1967, including those from Gaza.
According to the United Nations, Palestinian refugees now count almost 2.4 million.
Most – but not all – received citizenship in Jordan. Many keep strong connections to their Palestinian origins and take care of what happens in West Bank and Gaza.
The Hashemite monarchy had an unpleasant relationship with Palestinian activism. In 1970 King Hussein – Abdullah's father – crushed Palestinian factions that worked in the country, and went so far to protect refugee camps in the capital and north of the country. He also repeatedly collapsed with the Palestinian liberation organization because of the administration of Palestinian affairs.
Current and former Jordanian leaders say that the influx of a new wave of Palestinians would be an existential threat to the country and would destabilize the Hashemite dynasty represented by Abdullah and his ancestors.
When he was a bit nervous next to Trump, Abdullah issued questions about Trump's plan and said that he and a group of Arab leader, who was led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – would later present a plan for Trump.
“Although it is clear, the king did not want to appear confrontative in public, but at the same time he could not agree to what the president suggested, which corresponds to the ethnic cleaning of 2 million people,” Minister said the Times. “I think the king's proposal to wait until there is a uniform Arabic position is well placed because it will show that there is very strong opposition to President Trump's plans.”
Abdullah later published a number of social media posts that found his position -and his opposition to Trump.
“I confirmed Jordan's unshakable position against the expulsion of the Palestinians in the Gaza and in the West Bank. This is the uniform Arab position, ”he wrote about X.
Abdullah added: “Reaching peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability. This requires the US leadership. “
He praised Trump to secure the Gaza cotton arrest.
“It is clear that the most important problem for the king is to maintain a strategic relationship with this current US administration-which is why they have heard no direct rejections,” said Amer Sabaileh, an analyst based in Jordan.
The challenge for Abdullah is to convince Trump of Jordan's importance for stability in the region and not to endanger the status of the kingdom.
The meetings in Washington met against the background of events in Israel, where Netanyahu threatened to end the recent armistice in Gaza and resume “intensive fights” there, unless the Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. He repeated, almost word for word, a threat of Trump that “hell will break out” if the remaining hostages are not freed.
Over the weekend, the militant group of Hamas, the next handover planned on Saturday, threatened to shift by three Israeli hostages under the conditions of the ceasefire for an indefinite period.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday afternoon, the ceasefire ends and the (Israeli defense staff) will resume intensive fights until the final defeat of Hamas” he instructed the Israeli military to re -enact mass forces in Gaza.
According to the number of Israeli media, 76 Israelis remain in Gaza, almost half of them kept as dead.
Bulos reported Amman, Jordan. Times Staff Writer Laura King in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.