Jordanians reject Trump's plan to 'take over' Gaza and expel Palestinians
Jordanians have unequivocally rejected Donald Trump's plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza, after the US president announced that his administration would "take over" the enclave, relocate its inhabitants elsewhere and turn the territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
In shocking remarks, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said: "We're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs and it'll be something the entire Middle East can be very proud of.
"If we could find the right piece of land, pieces of land, and build them [Palestinians in Gaza] some really nice places ... I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza."
He later added that he was confident that US allies Jordan and Egypt would "open their hearts and give us the kind of land that we need to get this done".
Initially, it was unclear how the US would persuade Palestinians to leave voluntarily, who would ultimately benefit from the redevelopment efforts and whether Israel might eventually assume sovereignty over Gaza. The Geneva Conventions, which both the US and Israel have ratified, prohibit the forcible relocation of populations.
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Jordan's former deputy prime minister, Mamdouh al-Abadi, called Trump's remarks "a declaration of war on the Arab people" and urged Jordanian authorities to reinstate mandatory military service amid growing fears that the two countries could go to war over the issue.
"When you aim to relocate over two and a half million Palestinians to the unknown to build a riviera (luxury resort) on their land in Gaza, this is unprecedented colonialism," he told Middle East Eye.
'Jordan is not a banana republic for Trump to impose the acceptance of millions of refugees on us'
- Senator Omar al-Ayasrah
"In Jordan, we have numerous ways to confront this decision through political and popular actions, such as suspending the peace treaty and expelling US military bases from Jordan."
On Tuesday, well-placed sources in Amman and Jerusalem told MEE that Jordan was ready to declare war on Israel in the event that Palestinians were forcibly expelled into its territory.
In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed the Wadi Araba Treaty, which established diplomatic, tourism and trade relations between the two countries and set the ground for Amman to receive billions of dollars in US aid as debt relief.
The Hashemite monarchy currently receives about $1.45bn per year in US aid, funds which play a crucial role in supporting the Jordanian economy, funding development programmes and enhancing the country's stability.
However, a Jordanian official, who requested anonymity, told MEE that "American aid is important and necessary for the budget, constituting 10 percent of the state's budget, but if it is linked to the issue of relocation, we will not hesitate to forgo it."
'Bright red lines'
Jordan also maintains a close military alliance with the US and in January 2021 signed a defence cooperation agreement which provides exclusive bases for US forces, including 15 undisclosed sites.
At least 3,000 US troops are stationed at bases throughout the country where they partner with the Jordanian armed forces in "counterterrorism" operations.
"Jordan is not a banana republic [a term used to describe politically unstable and economically insignificant states], for Trump to impose the acceptance of millions of refugees on us," Senator Omar al-Ayasrah told MEE.
"The question is, can Trump relocate the people of Gaza?" he asked.
"Thousands of bombs have been dropped on them, and they remain steadfast. King Abdullah II previously told Trump 'no' to the 'Deal of the Century' in 2017.
"Now, the king will draw bright red lines during his upcoming visit to the White House, including rejecting any relocation, as it constitutes political suicide for the Jordanian state."
Etaf Al-Roudan, a member of the large Bani Sakher Bedouin tribe, agreed, telling MEE that Trump's remarks constituted an "existential war for Jordan".
"The relocation of Palestinians to the kingdom would be political suicide for the Jordanian state and a betrayal of the Palestinian cause," she said.
"As Jordanians who support the Palestinian cause, we reject any attempts to tamper with Jordanian identity and demographics, regardless of the cost."
Jordan's King Abdullah is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on 11 February where he is expected to reiterate the kingdom and Egypt's rejection of any plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
'Undermines chances of peace'
Within hours of Trump's announcement, US ally Saudi Arabia rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land and said it would not establish relations with Israel without establishment of a Palestinian state.
Whilst it did not directly refer to the president's remarks, the Saudi foreign ministry said that it was reaffirming its "complete rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land."
"The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering that has been inflicted upon the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not move from it," the ministry said.
On Saturday, a group of Arab nations, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, rejected an earlier suggestion from Trump that Palestinians to be moved to Egypt and Jordan - a proposal that did not mention the US taking over the enclave.
In a joint statement, the countries said that such a plan would risk further expanding the conflict in the Middle East.
The statement said that any plan encouraging the "transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land" would threaten stability in the region and "undermine the chances of peace and coexistence among its people".
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