If Jordan took in more Palestinians, there would be 'security, economic, and political implications'

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00:00Just as Donald Trump raises the ante with a Saturday deadline he's imposed for Hamas to hand over all remaining

00:06Israeli hostages just as he keeps up the pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians who

00:13Would be permanently shipped out of the Gaza Strip under Trump's idea the US president

00:19Welcoming the King of Jordan Abdullah to the White House at this hour

00:25Donald Trump's ultimatum

00:27Suggested by Israel's cabinet earlier, which convened behind closed doors to discuss whether to stick with the current

00:35Phase-one of the ceasefire deal with Hamas

00:38Delano D'Souza has more

00:43Fresh warning from the US president that puts an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza at risk

00:50Donald Trump says he wants all hostages held by Hamas released on Saturday

00:55Trump's latest statement flies in the face of the current truce agreed to between Israel and Hamas

01:01if all of the hostages aren't returned by

01:05Saturday at 12 o'clock. I think it's an appropriate time. I would say

01:11cancel it and all bets are off and

01:14Let hell break out

01:15I'd say they ought to be returned by 12 o'clock on Saturday

01:19All of them not in drips and drabs not two and one and three and four and two

01:25The latest statement from the US president comes a week after he floated the idea of the United States taking over the Gaza Strip

01:33While that proposal deemed outlandish has been rejected by Arab states

01:38Trump appears to be digging in his heels and now suggests

01:41Palestinians currently living in Gaza won't have the right to return once the enclave is rebuilt

01:49No, they wouldn't because they're gonna have much better housing much better

01:54In other words, I'm talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now

01:59It'll be years before you could ever it's not habitable

02:02It will be years before it could happen. I'm talking about starting to build and I think I could make a deal with Jordan

02:08I think I could make a deal with Egypt

02:09Hamas says the latest threat from Donald Trump complicates the Gaza truce in place on

02:15Monday the militant group threatened to delay the next release of hostages slated for the weekend

02:20It came after Israel sent back a low-level delegation from talks in Doha aimed at expanding the ceasefire

02:27UN officials are calling on all sides to stick to the deal in place as

02:31Fears mount the conflict in the enclave could reignite once again

02:37For more let's cross to Washington and correspondent Fraser Jackson

02:42Fraser there's

02:45While the king of Jordan is at the White House behind you

02:50The Israeli Prime Minister who seems to be picking up the ball and running with it

02:56Saying if Hamas does not return hostages by Saturday noon

02:59The ceasefire will end and the military will return to intensive fighting. That's on top of

03:06Reports by the Associated Press of troop movements on the part of the Israelis

03:10Inside in and around Gaza the Israelis following Donald Trump and taking him at his word it seems

03:22Yeah, I think you can that press conference that we saw last week from Donald Trump when Netanyahu was here visiting the White House

03:28Really said it all the luck when Netanyahu's face

03:30He was had a he had a slight smirk and it was very clear to see that

03:34this is the kind of administration that has been wanting to deal with for the last year and a half and

03:39That is evidenced by some of the comments he made on Monday where he said that the meeting with Donald Trump was one of the

03:44Most productive and revealing that he's had with any US president

03:48so very clear that Netanyahu here is singing from Donald Trump's hymn sheets the kind of

03:54Move that we've seen from Donald Trump of hope wanting to redevelop the Gaza Strip and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East

04:00Is the kind of thing that Netanyahu?

04:02Has been has been dreaming of really so definitely the kind of president that he wants is back in the Oval Office

04:09However, it is going to make things more difficult for the other members of the other countries in the region including Jordan and Egypt

04:16Donald Trump obviously here today with the king of Jordan to discuss this matter. Donald Trump has threatened to withhold aid

04:23He said that he would conceivably withhold aid from Jordan

04:27Should they not take in the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip?

04:31But of course that is a red line for many Arab nations, especially Jordan

04:36They have a very pro-palestinian

04:39Segment of their population around two or so million of the 11 million people in Jordan are either palestinian or of palestinian descent

04:47So at any movement to take the Palestinians out of Gaza and house them in Jordan

04:52Would then put the the monarchy in Jordan a very precarious

04:56Position and they are very very aware of that

04:59It could upset the apple cart in their own country and ultimately lead to some kind of coup

05:03That is what the what the Jordanian authorities are worried about. We're told from sources that the Jordanians

05:10Wanted this to be a quieter meeting with with the with the president. We're not seeing we're not seeing any press

05:18Press sprays before or after it. There's no press conference after this either

05:22The only thing currently open to the press today at the White House was the arrival that we saw a while ago of the king

05:29Of Jordan and his departure

05:31So it is a very very delicate situation as the Jordanians and the Egyptians especially try to navigate this

05:38I'm also told from sources that the Arab League will be having having a meeting on the 27th of February where the

05:44Aim is to create a unified position which will state that there will be no transfer of Palestinians that the ceasefire talks

05:52Will continue the negotiations will continue and that the two-state solution will be put forward as the only solution

05:58So there's a bit of a game of hardball here between

06:01Players in the region and the United States who wants to have its own way

06:05But of course some of those things that Donald Trump wants are red lines for their allies in the region and and Fraser

06:11what what are the reactions first off at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue on Capitol Hill and

06:17Throughout the United States when Donald Trump ups the ante like he did saying release all the hostages

06:23come Saturday

06:28Well, I think everybody in the United States wants the hostages to be released that's not really ever been in question

06:34It's been like that ever since the hostages were taken back in October

06:382023 but the way that things are being dealt with is a different story, of course the

06:45Democrats and the Republicans alike both say that Hamas is a terrorist organization that

06:50You know that they should not be being dealt with they should have it

06:53They're in no position to be putting forward demands

06:55But the question as to how this is is being done. It's really being raised the Republicans, of course

07:02Mostly support Donald Trump that have been some some voices that have questions his way of doing things

07:07I think a lot of people aren't really taking too seriously

07:10His calls to redevelop the Middle East a lot of people see that as a non-starter

07:14But that clearly is not getting through to the White House because Donald Trump has doubled down on that

07:19Multiple times as recently as the flights on Air Force One on Sunday

07:24And when we spoke to Donald Trump just as he met the king as he was going in

07:28We asked whether Hamas would would give in to Donald Trump's demands and he said yes, he thinks they will

07:35Fraser Jackson reporting live there from the White House. Many. Thanks for that update for more. Let's go to Rome and

07:41Jordanian geopolitics analyst Amir al-sabeli. Thank you for being with us here on France 24

07:50Thanks you my pleasure

07:52first off

07:54your your thoughts on what

07:57room to maneuver the king of Jordan has

08:00Right now sitting in the White House

08:03Well, you know, this is a long waiting moment and I think

08:06This is not an easy mission for the king. I think it's the first time we face

08:13Such situation going to the White House with a clear

08:17Idea that the American president has he already expressed what he has in mind. So I think the tough mission today is to

08:25Rationalize his vision and to offer something and I think for Jordan, you know, it's a bit different from any other country

08:32We are military allies

08:34There's a political ties very strong political ties

08:38So I think Jordan can can use now all its strategic cars when it when talking to President Trump

08:44Definitely. It's hard to say no to the president at this moment

08:47but I think Jordan can still try to explain its concerns fears from the implications that such that might

08:56Generate in Jordan and then on other side

08:58It can show how Jordan as a trusted ally to the u.s

09:02can play a major role also in the region together with Americans whether in Syria and Iraq or

09:09Whether from a kid an economy point of view when it comes to regional cooperation and big projects in the region, so I guess

09:17This is a chance also to get out

09:20And talk to the Americans not just with the problems of Gaza

09:24but the problems of the region as a package and here I think the Jordanian role might matter and

09:29The vision of Jordan might be listened to in a very different way. Okay

09:35Your your point is well taken if you look back to when Trump was first in office

09:41during his first term

09:44he would make big state bold statements and then he would

09:50Temper them according to whoever was in the room with him. Is that still the case though today has Donald Trump changed perhaps?

09:59When many things has changed even the Middle East has changed we cannot compare

10:04The Middle East at that time to the Middle East after the 7th of October

10:09This is for sure the second that we are dealing with the president who thinks that he has just four years left

10:14He's like has been in the office for a few weeks. He looks very strong. He wants to look decisive

10:20He wants to impose his vision. He wants to be because you heard you were sorry to interrupt

10:25You heard our correspondent say that some analysts and some players don't take too seriously

10:31His claim that he can redevelop the Gaza Strip

10:35Do you take him seriously when he makes big statements like this? I?

10:40Take him seriously at this moment because of the timing it's his first days in office, but I know that

10:46Practically speaking when it comes to solution, it's very complicated. There's a lot of complications ahead. It's not easy to solve

10:53It's not easy to make it that easy as a solution

10:56And that's why I said we need to rationalize his vision like at this moment

10:59We know that he he wants to show that he is the one who can bring solution

11:05We can impose solutions on everybody

11:07So I think by time he would realize that sometimes all what was said is really difficult to be done

11:14So I think the Jordanian role here is exactly this is to show the president the difficulties

11:20alive in this project and the implications that a country and a lie trusted a lie like Jordan has

11:28When it comes to this vision, so I guess I won't say I don't take him seriously

11:33I would take him seriously

11:34But at the same time I would like as well to advocate my case as Jordanian and show the risk that such vision

11:43will

11:44Will generate enjoy what would be the consequences domestically for Jordan if it took in more Palestinians?

11:50well, definitely there will be three implications security implication economics implications and

11:58political implications

12:00there is a

12:02clear impact of export exporting this

12:06Palestinian case to others like Jordan and its implications definitely will make will make

12:12A kind of change in the structure of the society would it threaten would it threaten the political structure of Jordan?

12:19Would it threaten the the country how it stands politically now with its king?

12:25Definitely definitely it will weaken the regime and it will show that the Jordanians the East bankers

12:32They will not be that happy of having more demographic increase

12:36And at the same time we know that this is a long term will change the political identity of the country itself

12:43Having more Palestinians more and more Palestinians and at the same time

12:49Even economically Jordan cannot afford such steps

12:52So from all levels, I don't think that it's that easy and it will never

12:58It will never

13:00Let Jordan pass this phase without really having this implications

13:05inside the country Prime Minister Netanyahu putting out a video statement in the last minutes saying that

13:12The ceasefire in Gaza would end if Hamas did not return hostages on Saturday

13:17He doesn't say all hostages, but he says hostages by Saturday noon

13:21Quote the military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated your reaction

13:28Well, definitely it was from from day one the stages or the phases on which the agreement was built

13:34It showed that it is really fragile and weak on the second phase second

13:38I think what he's saying is really backed up by the president the American president who said that by Saturday at

13:4512 if this if all hostages were not released then things will change it means that

13:51Netanyahu today after his meeting with Trump is preparing himself for phase two of escalation that might start in Gaza

13:58But I don't think that it will be limited to Gaza. I think the whole region all the agreements from Lebanon to

14:05To Gaza were really weak and we might witness a new wave of escalation

14:11And we have Jordan's King

14:13Speaking now to reporters asked about taking in Palestinians saying we have to keep in mind

14:19How we do make this work that is in everyone's best interest

14:25Saying he'll take in 2,000 children who are ill

14:31trying to not

14:34Upset his host there as he stands in the White House

14:37addressing

14:39reporters

14:40Amer also Bailey. I want to thank you for being with us from Rome

14:43Thanks to you stay with us as much more to come here on France 24 more news plus the day's business and in sports

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