Jordan’s king meets Trump amid deep discord over U.S. plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza

WASHINGTON — Jordan’s King Abdullah II, long one of the United States’ closest allies, visited the White House on Tuesday to tell President Trump why a mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan is not only illegal, but also could spell disaster for the Hashemite kingdom.

Seated alongside Trump in the White House, Abdullah said it is “our collective responsibility in the Middle East to continue to work with you, to support you to achieve” the goals of “stability, peace and prosperity to all of us in the region.”

But the king would not address the most stunning elements of Trump’s latest proposal for the Gaza Strip, announced days before Abdullah’s arrival, when Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump announced last week that the U.S. would seize the Gaza Strip and oversee the forced displacement of nearly 2 million Palestinians.

Trump said they should be relocated in Jordan and Egypt, an idea roundly rejected by those two nations, Palestinians and the international community, which would regard such an action as ethnic cleansing. On Tuesday, Abdullah would say only that Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia would come up with “a plan” to present to Washington.

The issue of Palestinian refugees cuts deeply in Jordan. About 750,000 Palestinians were expelled — some of whom fled to Jordan — during what Arabs refer to as the 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when Israel was created. An additional 300,000 refugees streamed into the kingdom after the 1967 Middle East War, including those from Gaza.

Palestinian refugees now number nearly 2.4 million, according to the United Nations.

Most — but not all — were granted citizenship in Jordan. Many maintain strong ties to their Palestinian origins and care deeply about what happens in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Hashemite monarchy has had an uneasy relationship with Palestinian activism. In 1970, King Hussein — Abdullah’s father — crushed Palestinian factions operating in the country, going so far as to shell refugee camps in the capital and the country’s north. He also repeatedly clashed with the Palestine Liberation Organization over stewardship of Palestinian affairs.

Current and former Jordanian leaders say the influx of a new wave of Palestinians would pose an existential threat to the country and destabilize the Hashemite dynasty represented by Abdullah and his ancestors.

Appearing somewhat nervous as he sat next to Trump, Abdullah dodged questions about Trump’s plan, saying he and a group of Arab leaders led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — would present a plan to Trump at a later date.

“While it’s clear the king didn’t want to appear confrontational in public, at the same time he couldn’t agree to what the president was proposing, which amounts to ethnic cleansing of 2 million people,” Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister, told The Times. “I think the king’s suggestion, to wait until there’s a unified Arab position, is well placed, because it will show that there is very strong opposition to President Trump’s plans.”

Later Abdullah released a series of social media posts that elaborated his position — and his opposition to Trump.

“I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position,” he wrote on X. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”

Abdullah added: “Achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability. This requires U.S. leadership.”

He went on to praise Trump for helping to secure the Gaza cease-fire.

“It’s clear the most important issue for the king now is to maintain a strategic relationship with this current U.S. administration — that’s why you didn’t hear outright rejections,” said Amer Sabaileh, a Jordan-based analyst.

The challenge for Abdullah, he said, is to convince Trump of Jordan’s importance for stability in the region and to not jeopardize the kingdom’s status.

The meetings in Washington came against the backdrop of events in Israel, where Netanyahu threatened to end the latest cease-fire in Gaza and resume “intense fighting” there unless Israeli hostages were freed Saturday. He echoed, almost word for word, a threat by Trump that “all hell is going to break out” if remaining hostages are not freed.

Over the weekend, the militant group Hamas threatened to postpone indefinitely the next handover, scheduled Saturday, of three Israeli hostages under the terms of the truce.

“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the cease-fire will end, and the [Israel Defense Forces] will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas,” Netanyahu said after a meeting of his security Cabinet, during which he instructed the Israeli military to mass forces anew in Gaza.

By Israeli media count, 76 Israelis remain in Gaza, nearly half of them thought to be dead.

Bulos reported from Amman, Jordan. Times staff writer Laura King in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.