\n<\/p>\n
King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday rebuffed President Trump\u2019s proposal for his country to absorb Palestinians living in Gaza, saying that he remained opposed to a plan Mr. Trump has laid out to clear the territory so the United States can seize control of it.<\/p>\n
During a \u201cconstructive\u201d meeting with the U.S. president at the White House, King Abdullah said, he \u201creiterated Jordan\u2019s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the unified Arab position,\u201d he stated in a post on social media after the meeting. \u201cRebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
His statement came hours after Mr. Trump insisted the United States had the authority to \u201ctake\u201d Gaza, part of an effort to pressure the leader of Jordan and other Arab nations to embrace a forced removal, which has drawn widespread condemnation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe will have Gaza,\u201d said Mr. Trump, as he sat next to Mr. Abdullah and the Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan. \u201cIt\u2019s a war-torn area. We\u2019re going to take it. We\u2019re going to hold it. We\u2019re going to cherish it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Abdullah largely demurred when asked by reporters about Mr. Trump\u2019s proposal, describing the president as a force for peace in the region and saying Jordan was prepared to assist sick Palestinian children.<\/p>\n
But according to his statement, Mr. Abdullah was more direct with Mr. Trump in private.<\/p>\n
\u201cAchieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability,\u201d King Abdullah said in the post. \u201cThis requires US leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meeting came a week after Mr. Trump declared that he wanted the United States to seize control of Gaza and wanted Jordan and Egypt to resettle the roughly two million Palestinians who call it home. Both Jordan and Egypt rejected the idea when Mr. Trump raised it last week at a news conference with Israel\u2019s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
In a statement<\/a> on social media on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Egypt\u2019s foreign ministry said that the country would work with the United States on a \u201cjust settlement of the Palestinian cause,\u201d but reiterated that Palestinians must be allowed to remain in their homeland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The meeting with King Abdullah amounted to not only a pivotal moment for a key ally in the Middle East but more broadly for the future of Gaza.<\/p>\n The talks came as the cease-fire agreement in the war in the Gaza Strip appeared to be at risk of breaking. Mr. Netanyahu warned Hamas<\/a> on Tuesday that if hostages were not released by noon on Saturday, then Israeli troops would resume \u201cintense fighting.\u201d His statement echoed an ultimatum Mr. Trump issued on Monday evening and again on Tuesday, that Hamas would need to release all remaining hostages by Saturday at midday.<\/p>\n \u201cThey either have them out by Saturday at 12 o\u2019clock or all bets are off,\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/p>\n