Sisi may refuse US visit over Palestinian displacement plans: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
Today 16:08

Reuters, citing sources, reports that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will refuse to visit the United States if the meeting with Trump includes discussions on plans to displace Palestinians.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is shown while meeting President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Washington. (AP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will decline a visit to the United States for talks at the White House if President Donald Trump's Gaza Strip plan is on the agenda, according to two Egyptian security sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday.

The Egyptian presidency previously reported that Trump had extended an open invitation to el-Sisi during a phone call on February 1.

According to the US official, no date has been scheduled for the visit, and the Egyptian presidency and the Foreign Ministry have remained silent on requests for comment.

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 habitable, affirming the "preservation of the Palestinians' rights and their ability to live on their land."

This came before Donald Trump met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday in what was 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.

On that note, Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II discussed the future of Gaza and the potential displacement of Palestinians, a proposal that has ignited a strong international backlash.

Trump signaled a dramatic shift in US policy, declaring that the United States would take control of Gaza. When pressed on what legal basis would justify such a move, he bluntly stated, "Under US authority." He added that Gaza's development could eventually bring economic benefits, though he admitted it would take "quite a while."