US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Monday with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that the two “discussed implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the release of hostages, and creating a pathway for security and stability in the region.”
“Secretary Rubio thanked Jordan for supporting the ceasefire through its integral role in providing humanitarian assistance through the Jordan Corridor. Secretary Rubio expressed to King Abdullah the United States’ commitment to deepening the 75-year-strong US-Jordan bilateral partnership founded on shared goals for regional security and stability,” the statement added.
It also noted that Rubio and the Jordanian monarch also discussed developments in Syria and reaffirmed the importance that Syria not be used as a base for terrorism or pose a threat to its neighbors.
The conversation between two came two days after US President Donald Trump brought up the idea that Jordan, as well as Egypt, accept more Palestinian Arabs who have fled the fighting in Gaza, suggesting a potential mass relocation to essentially "clean out" the conflict-ridden area and start anew.
The State Department statement did not specify whether Trump’s idea was brought up in the conversation between Rubio and King Abdullah II.
Trump, when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One about his idea, revealed he had discussed it with the Jordanian King and said he would also bring it up with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday firmly rejected Trump’s idea, reiterating its "continued support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land."
The Ministry emphasized that it "rejected any infringement on those inalienable rights, whether by settlement or annexation of land, or by the depopulation of that land of its people through displacement, encouraged transfer or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term."