Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II as he escalates pressure on his Gaza resettlement plan

Trump pressures Jordan to accept Gaza refugees permanently, part of his plan to reshape the Middle East.

President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.

The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages and as Mr. Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend.

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Mr. Trump has proposed the U.S. take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.

He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold U.S. funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime U.S. allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.

“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”

Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Trump's plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.