International media emphasized Jordan’s King Abdullah II’s uncomfortable appearance during his meeting with US President Donald Trump. The monarch appeared uneasy, frightened, and humiliated, frequently blinking in stress as Trump presented requirements that resembled orders rather than recommendations. According to CNN, Abdullah, who sat next to Trump, did not outright reject the president’s plan, but his discomfort was palpable. He hinted that alternative suggestions for Gaza might be made shortly.

Trump told Abdullah in the Oval Office that controlling a large piece of land would bring stability to the Middle East for the first time. Abdullah responded cautiously, emphasizing regional considerations. “I think we have to remember, there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab states,” he said. “I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everyone.”

According to Al Jazeera, the monarch used a diplomatic approach, avoiding open confrontation with Trump but gently hinting to an Egyptian-led alternative. Multiple international media sites reported that Trump’s words caused Abdullah to shift uneasily in his chair and blink profusely as he emphasized the significance of an Arab strategy for Gaza.

“I must consider the best interests of my country,” he said, implying that any decision should be postponed until Egypt’s ideas were made.

Abdullah wants to alleviate tensions. In an effort to defuse tensions, Abdullah stated that Jordan would welcome 2,000 ailing youngsters from Gaza for medical treatment, an action that Trump praised. However, the president persisted in his vision of developing Gaza into a coastal resort complete with hotels and homes for visitors from all over the Middle East. Yoni Ben-Menachem, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, reviewed the meeting and called the king’s response a strategic compromise.

The king eventually made a little retreat. Ben-Menachem stated that he arrived at this meeting fully prepared to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump. He noted that the decision to accept 2,000 Gazan youngsters was a planned measure to avoid war, which Trump gladly accepted.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi later reiterated Amman’s position on Jordanian television, stating his adherence to the Arab plan for Gaza’s restoration without displacing its population and emphasizing the significance of a Palestinian state. “There is an understanding in the Arab world that Jordan and Egypt may agree to take in a few thousand Palestinians as a humanitarian gesture,” he told reporters. “But the next conference will strongly announce their condemnation of Trump’s plan to relocate two million Palestinians from Gaza.

“Abdullah was repeatedly asked about Trump’s ambitious plan to reshape the Middle East but avoided making substantive remarks on it or the idea that his country could take in a large number of new refugees from Gaza,” according to CBS News. Only after the meeting did the Jordanian king take a more assertive public posture. Writing on X.