Egypt calls for reconstruction of Gaza, rejecting displacement plot
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Egypt's president has once more rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, despite recent US threats of cutting aid to Egypt.
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Destroyed buildings by Israeli bombardments inside the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Tuesday, Feb.11, 2025 (AP)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stressed on Tuesday the need to commence the reconstruction process in Gaza, rejecting the forced displacement of its residents despite Donald Trump's threats of cutting off aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refused to take in Palestinians.
During a phone call with Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, el-Sisi focused on reconstruction to make the Gaza Strip inhabitable, affirming the "preservation of the Palestinians' rights and their ability to live on their land."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is set to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday in what is expected to be a tense encounter, following the US president's controversial proposal for the displacement of Gaza's people and his threat to cut aid to Jordan if it refuses to host Palestinians displaced from the enclave.
Trump’s proposal, floated a week ago, suggested that the US "take over" Gaza, expel its residents, and transform the territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East," in a plan that has been met with strong opposition from the Arab world.
King Abdullah has firmly opposed any efforts to "annex" land or forcibly displace Palestinians. During Tuesday’s meeting, he is expected to warn Trump that such actions could fuel radicalism, destabilize the region, and endanger Jordan’s 1994 normalization agreement with "Israel", Reuters suggested.
Trump, meanwhile, has grown increasingly impatient with Arab leaders who reject the idea.
When pressed on whether he would withhold aid from Jordan and Egypt if they refused, Trump responded, "Yeah, maybe, sure, why not... if they don't agree, I would conceivably withhold aid."
