By Enyichukwu Enemanna
In opposition to a proposal presented by US President Donald Trump to relocate residents of war-torn Gaza from their original homes, Egypt says it is working on a “comprehensive vision” for the reconstruction of the war-torn strip to enable Palestinians to remain on their land.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said it hoped to cooperate with the Trump administration to reach “a just settlement of the Palestinian cause.”
This follows Trump’s meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday, where he reiterated his plan for the US to take over Gaza and permanently relocate the two million Palestinians living there to other locations, including Jordan and Egypt.
Abdullah said every Arab state rejected the idea and that Egypt would present an alternative.
“In this context, Egypt affirms its intention to present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, in a manner that ensures the Palestinian people stay on their land, and in line with the legitimate and legal rights of this people,” the ministry added, without giving any details.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi also told Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a phone call on Tuesday that the reconstruction of Gaza must happen “without displacing Palestinians,” his office said.
It was not immediately clear when Egypt would present its alternative Gaza plan.
Cairo is due to host an emergency Arab summit to discuss the “serious” developments for Palestinians on 27 February, while King Abdullah said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had invited Arab leaders to Riyadh at an unspecified date.
Sisi was also given an open invitation by Trump to visit the White House during a phone call earlier this month. However, Egyptian security sources told Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Sisi would not travel to Washington if the agenda included Trump’s plan.
The UN has warned that any forced displacement of the territory’s population would be illegal under international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
Sitting alongside King Abdullah at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said there had been “great progress” on his proposal to take over Gaza.
“With the United States being in control of that piece of land… you can have stability in the Middle East for the first time,” he told reporters. “And the Palestinians, or the people that live now in Gaza, will be living beautifully in another location.”
When pressed by reporters to comment on the plan to force Palestinians to relocate to Jordan, King Abdullah said: “We have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries.”
Later, the king wrote on X that he had “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank” during the meeting, adding: “This is the unified Arab position.”
Trump had said before the meeting that he could “conceivably” halt aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused to cooperate with his plan and take in displaced Gazans.
