“Return the hostages or all hell will break loose”

Determined to go ahead with his plans to turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East”, after first displacing its inhabitants to countries such as Jordan and Egypt, Donald Trump appears, even though three out of four Americans disagree with them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll: the American president is even stepping up pressure to overcome the objections of those directly involved Arab states. Just 12 hours before welcoming Jordan’s King Abdullah to the White House yesterday, Trump said “yeah, maybe, sure, why not?” he can end all US aid to both his country and Egypt if they don’t comply. “We will take it, we will keep it, we will take care of it,” he assured afterwards, referring to Gaza, with Abdullah at his side. “We will eventually do it, and a lot of jobs will be created for people in the Middle East,” he added, arguing that his plan would “bring peace” to the region. For his part, the king of Jordan did everything he could not to openly oppose the American president and to buy time. All this, while the cease-fire agreement in Gaza is in danger of blowing up.