Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the first Middle Eastern leader to meet with President Donald Trump since he announced his intention to take over the Gaza Strip, deflected questions about the plan to displace Palestinians as he tried to avoid a public face-to-face confrontation with Trump.

Like most of President Donald Trump’s meetings these days, Tuesday’s talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II will revolve around making a deal — at least in the president’s mind.

WASHINGTON — Jordan’s King Abdullah II, long one of the United States’ closest allies, visited the White House on Tuesday to tell President Trump why a mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan is not only illegal, but also could spell disaster for the Hashemite kingdom.