President Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday and renewed his suggestions that Gaza could be emptied of residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area — a plan that could likely only work if the Arab nation agrees to accept more refugees.

The pair met in the Oval Office, where Mr. Trump suggested he wouldn’t withhold U.S. aid to Jordan, Egypt or other Arab nations, if they don’t agree to dramatically increase the number of people from Gaza they take in.

“I don’t have to threaten that. I do believe we’re above that,” Mr. Trump said. That contradicted his previous suggestion that holding back aid was a possibility.

Abdullah was asked repeatedly about Mr. Trump’s audacious plan to remake the Middle East, but didn’t make substantive comments on it nor the idea that his country could accept large numbers of new refugees from Gaza. He did say that Jordan would accept roughly 2,000 children with cancer and other health problems “right away.” Mr. Trump said he did not know about that commitment, which he called “a beautiful gesture.”