Donald Trump, who last week shocked the world by claiming that the US will own and develop Gaza after forcefully displacing Palestinians from their homeland, has threatened to cut off aid to Jordan and Egypt if the two countries refuse his proposal to resettle them.
¡°If they don't agree, I would conceivably withhold aid,¡± Trump said on Monday, a day before a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Jordan is already home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, and the increase in their numbers has been a rising concern among the local population.
Trump still expressed confidence that Jordan will accept more Palestinians.
"I do think he (King Abdullah) will take refugees," Trump said.
Trump, after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, had claimed that the US would own and redevelop the Gaza Strip after removing all the residents from there.
Trump had proposed that the roughly 2 million Palestinians who have lived in Gaza for generations should be relocated to Jordan, Egypt, or other Middle Eastern countries.
Jordan and Egypt, both major recipients of US military and economic aid, were quick to reject the proposal, which has also been condemned globally¡ªexcept by Israel, which is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of Trump's wild plans.
Also read:?Gaza Strip joins Canada, Greenland, and Panama Canal as places Trump wants US to own
Trump had initially claimed that the Gaza Strip could become the Riviera of the Middle East and had claimed that people from around the world, including Palestinians, would live there. However, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump said he did not envision Palestinians who left Gaza to make way for the redevelopment plan ever returning.
For more news and current affairs?from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.