Jordan Can't Accommodate Additional Refugees From Gaza

Gaza/DOK UNRWA Refugees

JAKARTA - Arab countries are working on a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its citizens, ensuring security and governance.

This was conveyed by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday, February 14 local time. He said his country could not accept more Palestinians.

Arab countries were disappointed earlier this month after US President Donald Trump announced plans to "clean up" Palestinians from Gaza and recast most of them in Jordan and Egypt.

This idea was immediately rejected by Cairo and Amman and is considered to be very disruptive to stability in most areas.

To answer you firmly, 35% of our population are refugees, we are no longer able to finance, we cannot accept Palestinians coming to Jordan. They don't want to come to Jordan and we don't want them to come to Jordan," Ayman Safadi said at the Munich Security Conference.

Jordanian King Abdullah traveled to Washington on February 11, where he reiterated his country's "firm position" towards Trump's plans.

According to two European diplomatic sources familiar with the meeting, the King told Trump that Arab plans would be " Cheaper and faster" than Trump's proposal, something the American leader appears to have accepted.

"We are working on Arab proposals that will show that we can rebuild Gaza without displacing its citizens, that we can have plans that will ensure security and governance," Safadi said.

According to him, Israel should also think about how they want to see the region within 10 or 20 years.

"Israel must also think long-term. In order to live a peaceful and safe life, neighboring countries must also live a peaceful and safe life," he said.

Saudi Arabia is spearheading efforts to urge Arabia to develop Gaza's future plans in resistance to US President Donald Trump's ambition to realize a Middle East Riviera that is free from Palestinians, 10 sources to Reuters.

Safadi warned that although his focus was on Gaza, there was a real danger of escalation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel, which views the West Bank as part of a multi-front war against Iran-backed groups founded around its border, launched the operation after reaching a ceasefire in its war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes in the West Bank after widespread military attacks and destruction.

West fire is a barrel that can explode," said Safadi.