Washington: US President Donald Trump will meet today, Tuesday, with Jordanian King Abdullah II in a meeting that is expected to be tense in light of the proposal announced by the US President regarding the displacement of the Palestinians of Gaza, and his threat to cut off aid to Jordan if it refuses to receive Palestinian refugees.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a week ago, Trump had proposed an idea that includes America’s control over Gaza and the evacuating its residents, and turning the area destroyed by wars into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, which sparked negative reactions from the Arab world. This initiative complicates the regional situation in the region, including threatening the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

In this context, Hamas announced yesterday, Monday, that it will stop releasing Israeli detainees from Gaza until further notice, stressing that ‘Israel is violating the ceasefire agreement in the Strip.’ Trump later indicated the possibility of canceling the truce if Hamas does not release all detainees by noon next Saturday.

For his part, King Abdullah stressed his rejection of any attempt to annex Palestinian lands or displace Palestinians. The Jordanian king is expected to warn Trump that these steps could spark waves of extremism and chaos in the region, and could jeopardize the peace process with Israel.

In turn, Trump has modified some aspects of his initial proposal and supported others, expressing his displeasure with Arab leaders who consider the idea unworkable. “I think he will receive the refugees,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday, referring to King Abdullah.

When asked about the possibility of cutting off aid to Jordan and Egypt if the two countries refuse, Trump said: “Yes, maybe, certainly, why not? … If they don’t agree, I could cut off the aid.”

It is worth noting that Jordan hosts more than two million Palestinian refugees, who constitute a large part of its population of 11 million, and this situation has been a constant source of concern for the Jordanian leadership. The kingdom also relies heavily on American support, which is the largest source of economic and military aid, with annual aid amounting to more than a billion dollars.