Egypt Daily News – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to halt aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not accept refugees from the Gaza Strip in the event of the displacement of the strip’s population.
In response to a question about whether Washington could refuse to provide billions of dollars in annual financial aid to Egypt and Jordan if the two countries do not take in residents of the Gaza Strip, Trump said during an interview with reporters at the White House: “Yes, maybe, (it’s) easy, why not? If they don’t agree, I can withhold the aid.”
In addition, Trump expressed confidence that Jordan and other Arab countries would not refuse to accept Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, adding: “I really believe that (Jordan’s King Abdullah II) will accept (these Palestinians), and I think other countries will accept them as well. They have good hearts.”
Earlier on Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry quoted Abdelatty as saying during his meeting with his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, that Egypt seeks to coordinate its efforts with the U.S. administration, and that through joint efforts, a just peace in the region can be achieved.
This peace would include respecting the rights of the Palestinians, particularly their right to land and the establishment of their independent state.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister also pointed out that he believes it is essential to rebuild the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, emphasizing that Palestinians should “remain in the Strip” during this period. According to the Egyptian minister, the idea of displacing the residents of Gaza is rejected not only by the Palestinians themselves but also by all Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the international community.
Dr. Badr Abdel Ati also stressed the importance of finding a political path to permanently resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with international law, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
