Egypt Daily News – Two Egyptian security sources stated that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will not travel to Washington for talks at the White House as long as the agenda includes U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Trump has sparked outrage across the Arab world with his plan to permanently relocate over two million Palestinians from Gaza, take control of the territory, and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” He has called on Egypt and Jordan to accept the displaced Palestinians and has threatened to cut aid to these two U.S. allies if they refuse.
Egypt stated that Trump extended an open invitation to El-Sisi to visit Washington during a phone call between the two on February 1. A U.S. official said no date has been set for such a visit. The Egyptian presidency and foreign ministry have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Jordan’s King Abdullah appeared visibly uncomfortable during his meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where Trump discussed his plan for Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abd El Ati visited Washington this week. The two sources said the purpose of his visit was to avoid a similarly awkward meeting in which Trump might attempt to pressure President El-Sisi. According to the Egyptian sources, it became clear to Minister Abd El Ati during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the displacement plan would be on the table if President El-Sisi visited the U.S.
The sources said Badr Abd El Ati responded that such a meeting would be futile and that any discussion should focus on Egypt’s plan to rebuild Gaza. Egypt claims its plan “will ensure Palestinians remain on their land.”
Military Aid
Close cooperation between Cairo and Washington has been a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Middle East for decades. Since the U.S.-mediated peace treaty between Israel and Egypt over four decades ago, Egypt has remained one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid, alongside Israel.
The sources said the U.S. Secretary of State did not repeat Trump’s threats during his discussions with Abdelatty but urged Cairo to reconsider Trump’s plan.
Last years the US allocated 1.3 billion 3billion in military aid to Egypt and in December approved a potential arms sale worth over 1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt and in December approved a potential arms sale worth over 5 billion.
H.A. Hellyer, a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said, “No supplier matches the Americans, which is why Egypt has been keen for so long to maintain this relationship, but not at the expense of its national interest.”
President El-Sisi has repeatedly emphasized that Egypt will never facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, which Egypt views as a serious threat to its security, including by fueling extremism and providing a pretext for future Israeli attacks, as well as being an injustice to the Palestinians.
