The Trump administration is gearing up for potentially contentious meetings with Arab power players this week as President Donald Trump continues to press his plan for what he calls U.S. "ownership" of Gaza, going so far as to threaten cutting off U.S. aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don't go along.
On Tuesday, Jordan's King Abdullah is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House, becoming the first Arab leader to do since he returned to power last month.
Jordan has served as a humanitarian lifeline for civilians in Gaza throughout the Israel-Hamas conflict and already hosts millions of registered Palestinian refugees.
But Trump's plan for rebuilding Gaza calls for the country, as well as Egypt, to take in close to 2 million more Palestinians he says can be removed from Gaza so that the war-torn land can be transformed into what he calls "the Riviera of the Middle East" under his watch.
Trump's proposal to "clean out" Gaza has ignited a sharp wave of backlash from Middle Eastern leaders, including from Abdullah.
