CAIRO, Egypt: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday that the forced relocation or displacement of Palestinian people from Gaza is an “injustice that we cannot take part in”, after US President Donald Trump floated a plan to move Gazans from the territory to Egypt and Jordan.
“The constants of Egypt’s historic position on the Palestinian cause…. can never be compromised,” Sisi said during a news conference in Cairo with Kenyan President William Ruto.
Sisi said Egypt supported “the establishment of a Palestinian state and the preservation of its capabilities, particularly its people and its territory”.
“Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Palestinians, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security,” al-Sisi said.
There are historical rights that cannot be overlooked, said El-Sisi, adding that the Egyptian, Arab and global public opinion all recognise the long-standing injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people over the past 70 years.
He added that Egypt was “determined to work with President Trump, who seeks to achieve the desired peace based on the two-state solution”.
“We believe that President Trump is capable of fulfilling this long-awaited goal of establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East”.
ALSO READ: US freezes almost all aid except for Israel, Egypt arms: memo
After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into force on January 19, Trump touted a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip. He said that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza, which he called a “demolition site” following 15 months of Israeli bombardment that made most of its 2.3 million people homeless.
Trump reiterated the idea on Monday as he called for Palestinians to move to “safer” locations such as Egypt or Jordan.
The US president has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the truce deal after months of fruitless negotiations.
Jordan is already home to several million Palestinians, while tens of thousands live in Egypt. The foreign ministries of Egypt and Jordan have both rejected Trump’s suggestion in recent days.