Jordanians reject Trump's plan to 'take over' Gaza and expel Palestinians

Jordanians have unequivocally rejected Donald Trump's plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza, after the US president announced that his administration would "take over" the enclave, relocate its inhabitants elsewhere and turn the territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

In shocking remarks, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said: "We're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs and it'll be something the entire Middle East can be very proud of.

"If we could find the right piece of land, pieces of land, and build them [Palestinians in Gaza] some really nice places ... I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza."

He later added that he was confident that US allies Jordan and Egypt would "open their hearts and give us the kind of land that we need to get this done".

Initially, it was unclear how the US would persuade Palestinians to leave voluntarily, who would ultimately benefit from the redevelopment efforts and whether Israel might eventually assume sovereignty over Gaza. The Geneva Conventions, which both the US and Israel have ratified, prohibit the forcible relocation of populations.

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