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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there is “nothing to buy” in the Gaza Strip and that the US will “take it”, reiterating his claim that Arab countries are on board with his plan to displace the Palestinian enclave's population and move them to parcels of land in Jordan, Egypt and “someplace else”.
Speaking alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House, Mr Trump also said he did not think Hamas would honour a Saturday deadline to release the hostages it still has, implying the conflict would reignite.
“They either have them out by Saturday at 12 o'clock or all bets are off,” Mr Trump said, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was amassing troops inside and outside the Gaza Strip.
In freewheeling remarks from the Oval Office as he welcomed King Abdullah, Mr Trump repeated his claim that “nobody” wants to stay in Gaza and that he believes his plan is going to “bring peace in the Middle East”.
“There is nothing to buy, it's Gaza, it's a war-torn area,” he said. “We're gonna take it, we're gonna hold it, we're going to cherish it.” He added that he envisions the coastal enclave becoming a “great economic development job”.
Journalists repeatedly asked King Abdullah what he thought of Mr Trump's plans. He said conversations are continuing with the US and with other Arab countries, and that he was waiting to hear Egypt's proposals.
"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," he said.
“We have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries. We're being invited by [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman to discussions in Riyadh. I think the point is, how to make this work in a way that is good for everybody,” he added.
King Abdullah did not respond directly to Mr Trump's comment that he believes, “we'll have a parcel of land in Jordan … a parcel of land in Egypt”.
“We may have someplace else, but I think when we finish our talks, [the Palestinians from Gaza will] have a place where they're going to live very happily and very safely,” Mr Trump said.
But after the meeting, King Abdullah reiterated what he said was Jordan's and the Arab world's, "steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank".
"Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all," he said in a post on X.
King Abdullah announced that 2,000 Palestinian children suffering from cancer and other illnesses would be taken from Gaza to Jordan, something Mr Trump called a “beautiful gesture”.
The Jordanian monarch, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, has previously firmly rejected Mr Trump's proposal to remove Palestinians and take over the enclave. Other Arab nations and the UN objected, as have Palestinians, saying the forced displacement would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Jordan is one of Washington's strongest allies in the Middle East. The two countries have long worked closely on regional security issues, including the fight against Al Qaeda and ISIS, and Amman receives hundreds of millions of dollars in annual military financing.
King Abdullah's visit comes amid a fragile ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas. More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment and thousands more are feared dead under the rubble. Israeli strikes on Gaza have destroyed much of the enclave's infrastructure and reduced most homes to rubble.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 people hostage.
Jordan is already home to more than two million Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled by the war surrounding Israel's founding in 1948 and the Arab-Israeli war of 1967.
Millions of Palestinians still live in refugee camps in Jordan, southern Lebanon and elsewhere. There are concerns that expelling the population of Gaza would jeopardise the long-held and internationally supported goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
While there has been rejection of the idea throughout the Middle East, some observers have noted Mr Trump might use US aid to Jordan and Egypt to force the two nations to comply with his plans for Gaza.
Ahead of the King's visit on Monday, Mr Trump said he could halt aid to Egypt and Jordan if they do not take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
On Tuesday, he seemed to walk back that threat.
“I don't have to threaten with money,” Mr Trump said. “We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way – a lot to both, but I don't have to threaten that. I think we're above that.”
Jordan is heavily reliant on aid from the US and such a freeze in support to either country could jeopardise their peace agreements with Israel.
Mr Trump made the announcement last week during a press conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said that after 15 months of war, Gaza has become unlivable and the US would take ownership of the enclave and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. The plan would be a break with long-standing US policy on the Middle East
King Abdullah met US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday, the Royal Hashemite Court said in a statement, and during his visit he is also scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, as well as members of Congress.
