Trump's "favorite dictator" sends warning over his Gaza plan
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has sent a warning over proposals by U.S. President Donald Trump for the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip so that it could be rebuilt after Israel's war with Hamas.
Trump said in January that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians, an idea that was rejected by both countries at the time along with much of the Arab world.
Why It Matters
Egypt's role is key as one of the most important powers in the Middle East and one which has a peace deal with Israel and neighbors the Gaza Strip, which it ruled until the territory was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Along with the United States and Qatar, Egypt is also a key mediator of the current shaky ceasefire in the Gaza Strip under which Hamas is due to hand back hostages it seized in the October 2023 attack on Israel that started the most intense round of conflict in a region that has seen decades of war. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching protocol over the hostage releases.
What We Know
The Egyptian presidential spokesperson said Sisi had rejected "proposals to displace the Palestinian people, in order to avoid the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and avoid causing threats to the national security of the countries in the region."
He also stressed the need to implement the stages of the ceasefire agreement, including the exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners in addition to allowing humanitarian aid into the strip. He spoke during a meeting with Iraqi politicians and officials on Tuesday.
Newsweek contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.
Trump enjoyed a stable relationship with his Egyptian counterpart during his first term, once nicknaming him his "favorite dictator".
Trump laid out plans to "take over" the Gaza Strip, empty it from its inhabitants and turn it into a "Riviera of the Middle East," prompting Arab and international rejections and sparking accusations of promoting "ethnic cleansing". Trump first proposed the U.S. takeover during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4, 2025.
Trump threatened to withhold aid from Egypt and Jordan if they don't accept displaced Palestinians. Egypt receives annual U.S. military aid of $1.3 billion.
Jordan's King Abdullah II met with Trump in February. Sisi postponed a planned visit to the White House. Egyptian officials said there would be no such visits if "Gaza displacement" remained on the agenda, according to Reuters.
Egypt's official position is that a Palestinian state should be established along the lines of Israel's 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
What People Are Saying
President Sisi was quoted by the presidential spokesperson as having asserted the "importance of starting an early recovery process and reconstructing the strip without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants, rejecting proposals to displace the Palestinian people, in order to avoid the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and avoid causing threats to the national security of the countries in the region."
Trump told a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4, 2025: "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site."
What's Next
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit the region on Wednesday to push ceasefire talks further. Cairo will host an Arab summit in March which is expected to focus on the Palestinian issue.