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Today's Paper | March 16, 2026

Published 06 Feb, 2025 09:22pm

Recipe for radicalism: Jordan raises red flags over Trump’s relocation plan

US President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in Jordan is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos through the Middle East, jeopardise the Kingdom’s peace with Israel and even threaten the country’s very survival, Reuters reports.

These are the stark warnings Jordan’s King Abdullah plans to deliver to Trump when he meets the US President in Washington on February 11 as part of a diplomatic offensive against any relocation, according to three senior Jordanian officials, all of whom declined to be identified.

“This is existential. There is very strong public opposition and it’s not something Jordan can entertain. This is not an economic or a security issue for Jordan, it’s an identity issue,” said Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister who helped negotiate Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

One of the senior officials said there had been a flurry of phone calls by King Abdullah to muster support from regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

“This is the biggest test in ties with our strategic ally,” the official said.

Asked for comment, a senior Jordanian government official said the kingdom’s position was clearly outlined in recent statements by the king opposing mass displacement.

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