The Media Line: Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah Set for Tense Talks Over Gaza and US Aid Threats 

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Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah Set for Tense Talks Over Gaza and US Aid Threats 

By The Media Line Staff 

Jordan’s King Abdullah is set to meet with former US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday for high-stakes talks as tensions mount over President Trump’s controversial proposal to move Palestinians from Gaza and his threat to cut US aid to Jordan if it refuses. The meeting comes amid strained relations between Washington and Amman, as well as deep concerns across the Arab world over the president’s plan for Gaza. 

Last week, President Trump floated an idea for the US to assume control of Gaza, relocate its residents, and redevelop the war-torn territory into what he described as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” The proposal was met with broad rejection from Arab leaders, including Abdullah, who has warned that any forced displacement of Palestinians would destabilize the region, encourage radicalism, and threaten Jordan’s security. 

The president’s plan has also complicated efforts to maintain a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The Palestinian group on Monday halted the release of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the agreement. Trump then suggested that Israel should cancel the ceasefire if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages by the weekend. 

King Abdullah, who has consistently opposed any forced resettlement of Palestinians, has made clear that Jordan will not absorb additional refugees. The country already hosts over 2 million registered Palestinian refugees, alongside hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians. 

The president, however, has remained firm on his position. Speaking to reporters on Monday, he insisted that Jordan would accept refugees and suggested he could withhold aid if Amman and Cairo refuse to participate. “Yeah, maybe, sure, why not. … If they don’t agree, I would conceivably withhold aid,” he said. The US provides Jordan with over $1.5 billion annually in economic and military assistance, along with a classified stream of funds for intelligence cooperation. 

Abdullah has historically maintained strong ties with the US across multiple administrations, cultivating relationships with the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency, and Congress. Jordan has long been considered a key US ally in the region, granting American forces access to military bases and serving as a buffer between Israel and regional conflicts. But the king now finds himself in a difficult position, needing to balance his country’s reliance on US support with growing pressure from his people to reject President Trump’s proposal. 

In addition to addressing the Gaza issue, Abdullah is expected to warn against Israeli efforts to annex parts of the West Bank, a move supported by some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Any annexation, Abdullah has argued, would lead to further unrest and could spill into Jordan. 

President Trump’s broader goal in the Middle East remains securing a landmark deal that would see Saudi Arabia recognize Israel, a prospect unlikely if his Gaza proposal moves forward. The Saudi government has insisted that progress toward Palestinian statehood is a prerequisite for normalization with Israel. This dynamic could give Abdullah some leverage in his discussions with Trump, as he seeks to shift the conversation toward regional stability while preserving Jordan’s critical US partnership. 

Should President Trump decide to cut aid, Jordan may turn to other allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have also opposed the president’s Gaza plan. For now, Abdullah is expected to continue to push back against the US proposal, arguing that any forced displacement of Palestinians would be a disastrous miscalculation.