Trump hosts Jordan's king, repeats Gaza takeover plan

Donald Trump on Tuesday restated his plan for the US to take over Gaza and permanently resettle its residents, as he met Jordan's King Abdullah amid widespread opposition to his plan among Washington's Arab allies, including Jordan.

Shortly after the king and his son arrived at the White House, reporters were ushered into the Oval Office where the US president signalled he would not budge on his plan for the US to take over Gaza, move its shell-shocked residents and transform the war-ravaged territory.

"We're going to take it. We're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it. We're going to get it going eventually, where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East," Trump said of Gaza, saying his plan would "bring peace" to the region.

Trump has said he would consider withholding aid from Jordan if it refuses to resettle Palestinians.

King Abdullah has previously said he rejects any moves to annex land and displace Palestinians.

Asked on Tuesday about taking in Palestinians, he said he had to do what is best for his country, and said Arab nations would come to Washington with a counterproposal.

"The point is how to make this work in a way that is good for everybody," he said, without explicitly supporting or opposing Trump's plan.

He was expected to tell Trump such a move could spur radicalism, spread chaos in the region, jeopardise peace with Israel and threaten the country's very survival.

King Abdullah II said on Tuesday that Egypt would present a plan on working with the United States over Washington's Gaza takeover proposal.

Trump "is looking at Egypt coming to present that plan. As I said, we will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we should work with the president and with the United States." "Let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president."

Three out of four Americans - 74% - in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Feb.7-9 said they opposed the idea of the US taking control of Gaza and displacing the Palestinians who live there. 

The poll showed that Republicans were divided on the issue, with 55% opposed and 43% supportive.

Trump's proposal has introduced new complexity into a sensitive regional dynamic, including a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Hamas on Monday said it would stop releasing Israeli hostages from Gaza until further notice, saying Israel was violating the agreement to end strikes that have pummeled Gaza. 

Trump later proposed canceling the ceasefire if Hamas doesn't release all remaining hostages it took on Oct.7, 2023, by Saturday.

Trump said on Tuesday that "all bets are off" if Hamas does not meet the deadline, adding that he does not think the Palestinian militant group will do so.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip unless its hostages in Gaza are released.

Netanyahu also ordered officials "to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn't release our hostages this Saturday," according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

The official was not clear if Netanyahu's order referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.

Sandwiched between Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the occupied West Bank, Jordan is already home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees in its population of 11 million, their status and number long providing a source of anxiety for the country's leadership.

Amman, which depends heavily on Washington for military and economic assistance, is also reeling from Trump's 90-day aid pause. Israel and Egypt have been granted waivers, but the $1.45 billion Jordan gets each year remains frozen pending a Trump administration review of all foreign aid.

Agencies