US President Donald Trump said on Monday he could “conceivably” withhold aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to take in Gazans as part of Trump’s plan for the Strip.
“Yeah, maybe, sure why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter.
Trump several weeks ago expressed his desire for countries like Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian Arabs who have fled the fighting in Gaza, telling reporters he had discussed the idea with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Several days later, Trump doubled down on the idea, telling reporters he had brought it up in a conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
“I’d like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption, revolution … when you look at the Gaza Strip it’s been hell for so many years,” said Trump.
"I wish [Sisi] would take some [Gazans]. We helped them a lot, and I'm sure he'd help us. He's a friend of mine. He's in a very rough part of the world, to be honest. As they say, It's a rough neighborhood. But I think he would do it, and I think the King of Jordan would do it too," continued Trump.
His comment on Monday came after Egypt rejected “any compromise” that would infringe on the rights of Palestinian Arabs, in a statement issued after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
Sisi recently responded publicly for the first time to Trump’s proposal, stating that Egypt will not take part in the displacement of Palestinian Arabs, an action he described as an "act of injustice" that could endanger Egyptian security.
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