Sisi rejects Egypt’s role in resettling Gazans

CAIRO,—Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi firmly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to resettle Gazans in Egypt, calling it an “act of injustice” that would threaten the country’s national security.

This marked Sisi’s first public response to Trump’s controversial call, made on Saturday, urging Egypt and Jordan to accept residents of the Gaza Strip.

Speaking during a joint press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto, Sisi emphasized that Egypt would not allow the displacement of Gazans, reinforcing his commitment to working with the U.S. for peace between Israel and the Gazans based on a two-state solution.

“Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Gazans, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security,” Sisi said.

He described the proposal as a “deportation or displacement of the people” and called it an “injustice” that Egypt could not participate in.

Trump’s call followed a lengthy Israeli air campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023, leaving most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents displaced. The U.S. president labeled Gaza a “demolition site” after the airstrikes, which he said had destroyed much of the region’s infrastructure.

Sisi added that if he were to ask the Egyptian people about accepting Gazans, they would protest in the streets against the move.

“The two-state solution is a historical right that can’t be bypassed,” he stated, underlining that the solution remains central to achieving a fair and lasting peace in the Middle East.

The suggestion to relocate Gazans has been met with staunch opposition not only from Egypt but also from neighboring Arab countries.

The Palestinian leadership has long rejected any idea of resettling Gazans outside their homeland, particularly in light of their aspiration to establish an independent state that includes Gaza.

Jordan, which already hosts millions of Arabs from Gaza and the West Bank, and Egypt, which has tens of thousands, have both explicitly rejected Trump’s proposal.

In the aftermath of Trump’s remarks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s counterpart, without mention of Trump’s plan.

The refusal to resettle Gazans aligns with Egypt’s consistent position on the Israeli-Arab conflict, which supports a negotiated two-state solution. According to Egyptian officials, any shift in this stance would destabilize the region further and compromise Egypt’s own security interests.

(With files from Reuters)