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Trump, hosting Jordan’s king, renews his insistence that the US can control and redevelop Gaza
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday and renewed his suggestions that Gaza could be emptied of residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area — a plan that could likely only work if the Arab nation agrees to accept more refugees.
The pair met in the Oval Office, where Trump suggested he wouldn’t withhold U.S. aid to Jordan or countries like Egypt, other Arab nations, if they don’t agree to dramatically increase the number of people from Gaza they take in.
“I don’t have to threaten that. I do believe we’re above that,” Trump said. That contradicted the Republican president previously suggesting that holding back aid was a possibility.
Abdullah was asked repeatedly about Trump’s audacious plan to remake the Middle East, but didn’t make substantive comments on it nor the idea that his country could accept large numbers of new refugees from Gaza.