Egypt’s Sisi urges Gaza reconstruction without ‘displacing Palestinians’

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged on Tuesday the reconstruction of Gaza “without displacing Palestinians” after US President Donald Trump said he could “conceivably” halt aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to take in Gazans.

During a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Sisi “stressed the necessity of starting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip… without displacing Palestinians and in a way that ensures the preservation of their rights… to live on their land”.

The Egyptian president also said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is “the only guarantee for achieving lasting peace” in the region, according to a statement from his office.

Trump has proposed the US taking over Gaza and clearing Palestinians out, envisioning rebuilding the devastated territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after resettling Palestinians elsewhere, namely Egypt and Jordan.

The US president’s remarks have sparked global backlash and Arab countries have condemned the proposal, insisting on a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

On Monday, Egypt’s foreign ministry rejected “any compromise” that would infringe on Palestinians’ rights, including their right to “remaining on the land”, in a statement issued shortly after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington.

Last week, Abdelatty spoke with regional counterparts, including in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in a bid to shore up opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians from their land.