Government officials and experts alike reject U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal Saturday that Jordan and Egypt accept 1.5 million Palestinian refugees from Gaza. some compared the unprecedented suggestion to “ethnic cleansing” as the terms of the ceasefire allowed displaced residents to return to their homes in northern Gaza. Days earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio halted foreign aid to all recipients—with the exception of Egypt and Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reaffirmed Jordan’s position against forced displacement of Palestinian refugees in a joint press conference on Sunday. He followed up in an interview with Sky News Arabia that “Jordan cannot accept being an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.”

“He’s framing it as a humanitarian issue, but he’s just trying to sell [the Gaza Strip] to the Israelis or sell it to the world,” Jordanian Former Deputy Prime Minister Mamdouh al-Abadi told Jordanian listeners on the morning show of the community radio station Radio al Balad.

After praising King Abdullah II’s historically “humane” treatment of Palestinian refugees, Trump suggested that Jordan share the burden with Egypt, adding that he would discuss the matter with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on a phone call scheduled for the next day.

Trump floated the idea of constructing housing developments for displaced Palestinians in collaboration with other Arab nations to address what he called a “mess” in Gaza. He described relocation as a way to give Palestinians the chance to "live in peace for a change."

Dr. Abadi reaffirmed Jordan’s position against displacement of Palestinians, despite a potential conflict of interest due to Jordan’s reliance on US aid.

In 2022, the U.S. committed a minimum of $1.45 billion USD per year (over 1 billion JOD) to Jordan between 2023 and 2029 through the seven-year Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership—this is the largest sum of aid since the inception of diplomatic relations between the countries in 1949.

Economic expert Fahmi Katout, highlighted that U.S. aid covers 10 percent of Jordan’s expenditures, an “unacceptably high” amount. He advises that Jordan move toward self-sufficiency—by developing raw materials, sales, and exports, as well as reducing high government salaries—so that changes in U.S. aid will not destabilize the country’s economy.

“We are supposed to live within our means,” Katout  said, adding that Jordan should focus its limited resources on health, education, and basic public services. Additionally, he recommends that Jordan look beyond the U.S. and toward other partners, such as China, for foreign investment.

Katout added that Jordan should not be bullied into making political concessions to hold on to U.S. aid.

The Trump administration halted aid “without thinking and without planning,” writer and journalist Daoud Kuttab said during the main news program on Radio al Balad. He expressed skepticism that the U.S. is withholding aid to pressure Jordan to accept Palestinian refugees, noting that suspension is temporary and worldwide.

Kuttab emphasized that Jordan had accepted Palestinians in 1948 under the assumption that they would eventually be allowed to exercise the right of return to their homeland, as stated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Israel’s refusal to uphold this right for over 75 years sparks fear that future refugees also will be denied return, he argued.

“Jordan is a sovereign state and will not allow anyone to enter its territory without its approval,” Kuttab affirmed. “That is not debatable.”