On Thursday, tens of thousands of Jordanians gathered at Marka Airport in Amman to show their support for King Abdullah II following his return from a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
The meeting, held at the White House on Tuesday, was described as tense, with Trump reaffirming a controversial plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and relocate its over two million Palestinian residents to Jordan and Egypt.
In response, the king issued a statement reaffirming Jordan’s unwavering stance against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Despite facing cold and rainy weather, crowds of men, women, and children lined the airport road up to Raghadan Palace, extending seven kilometers (four miles), according to AFP photographers, with a strong presence of police and royal guards.
Many participants held signs displaying messages of support for the king, including one that read “We are with you,” accompanied by images of Crown Prince Hussein, who joined his father on the trip, dressed in military attire.
Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has ignited significant backlash across the region, with several Arab nations vocally opposing the potential displacement of Palestinian residents.
On Thursday in Amman, Jordanians rallied behind their monarch, holding signs that stated “Jordan is for the Jordanians and Palestine is for the Palestinians” and “No to the displacement of our brothers.”
Approximately half of Jordan’s 11 million residents are of Palestinian descent, most of whom were displaced during the 1948 war, which coincided with the establishment of Israel, and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Both the king and the crown prince were seen greeting the crowd from their vehicle.
Majed al-Faoury, a man in his 50s who was part of the gathering, stated, “We came from all over Jordan to support” the king’s position, describing it as “non-negotiable.”
“No to settlement, no to displacement, no to an alternative homeland,” he added.
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