Arab nations are developing a comprehensive plan to rebuild Gaza while ensuring security and governance without displacing its population, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.

His remarks directly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt—a plan that has been swiftly dismissed by both Cairo and Amman.

Safadi unequivocally rejected the idea of Jordan absorbing more Palestinian refugees, stating:

“Just to answer you unequivocally, 35% of our population are refugees. We cannot afford any more. We cannot have Palestinians coming to Jordan. They don’t want to come to Jordan, and we don’t want them to come to Jordan.”

His position echoes that of King Abdullah of Jordan, who visited Washington on February 11 to reaffirm his country’s “steadfast position” against Trump’s resettlement plan.

According to European diplomatic sources, King Abdullah told Trump that an Arab-led initiative would be “cheaper and faster” than the U.S. proposal, a point that Trump appeared open to considering.

Saudi Arabia is spearheading an urgent Arab effort to counter Trump’s vision of a “Middle East Riviera” cleared of Palestinians, sources familiar with the discussions revealed.

“We are working on an Arab proposal that will show that we can rebuild Gaza without displacing its people,” Safadi emphasized.

He added that Israel must consider long-term peace:

“For it to live in peace and security, its neighbors need to live in peace and security.”

While discussions focus on Gaza’s future, Safadi also warned that rising tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank could lead to wider conflict.

Describing the situation as a “powder keg that could explode,” he pointed to increased Israeli military operations in response to instability.

Thousands of Palestinians have been displaced following Israeli military actions, with Israel viewing the West Bank as part of a broader conflict involving Iranian-backed groups.

As regional leaders push forward with an Arab-led Gaza rebuilding plan, diplomatic tensions continue over Trump’s resettlement vision, setting the stage for further geopolitical maneuvering in the Middle East peace process.