Jordan's King Abdullah set for tense meeting with Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II are scheduled to meet at the White House on Tuesday in what is expected to be a tense encounter. President Trump is insisting that the Kingdom of Jordan accept forcibly displaced Palestinians as part of his plan to "own" Gaza. This stance is anticipated to be the central issue of their discussions.

Last week, President Trump reiterated his plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and transform it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," taken over and "owned" by the United States. He has repeatedly stated that Jordan and Egypt should receive Palestinians from Gaza, an idea that has been explicitly rejected by Amman and Cairo.

In the face of President Trump's proposal, strong opposition has emerged within Jordan. Last Friday, thousands of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman to protest President Trump's plan. On Monday, President Trump hinted that he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they did not accept his proposal. "If they don't agree, I might withhold aid," he said before his meeting with King Abdullah.

Jordan receives $1.45 billion in aid annually from the United States, funding that plays a critical role in the country's development projects. However, Jordanian officials told Middle East Eye that Jordan is prepared to forgo this aid. "The U.S. aid is very important and necessary for the budget, accounting for 10% of the national budget, but if it is linked to the resettlement issue, we will not hesitate to give it up," said an official who wished to remain anonymous.

Jordan is a key U.S. ally in the region, with at least 3,000 U.S. troops stationed at U.S. bases, working with the Jordanian Armed Forces on counter-terrorism operations. A defense agreement signed by the two countries in January 2021 provides the U.S. military with exclusive bases, including 15 undisclosed locations. Jordan also maintains ties with Israel, having signed the 1994 Wadi Araba Treaty, which established diplomatic, tourism, and trade relations between the two countries. In return, Jordan has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid.

More than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent, most of whom are refugees displaced during the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 war. Some refugees already know what it is like to be expelled from Gaza. The Jerash camp in northern Jordan, locally known as the Gaza camp, houses thousands of people displaced from Gaza during the 1967 war.

A source told Middle East Eye last week that President Trump's plan is an "existential issue" for Jordan and the Hashemite Kingdom, a cash-strapped nation that would be unable to accommodate a large influx of refugees. The country's relationship with Palestinian refugees is already delicate, and it remains wary of internal unrest. The memory of the 1970 "Black September" events, when the Hashemites brutally suppressed Palestinian factions they believed were trying to take over the country, remains vivid.

Jordanian Senator Omar al-Ayasrah told Middle East Eye: "Jordan is not a banana republic where Trump can impose the acceptance of millions of refugees." "Now, the King will draw clear red lines during his upcoming White House visit, including rejecting any resettlement, as it constitutes political suicide for the Jordanian state." President Trump insisted on Monday that he believed King Abdullah would take in Palestinians. "I think he will take them, and I think other countries will take them," President Trump said, "They are good-hearted."

Despite some of his officials walking back the proposals and saying the displacement of Palestinians would be temporary, the U.S. president has indicated it would be permanent. On Monday, President Trump was asked on Fox News if Palestinians would return to Gaza, and he said: "They're not going back. Because they're going to have better housing. Better -- in other words, I'm saying build them a permanent place."