CAIRO: Egypt has rejected any proposal to displace the people of Palestine to not “liquidate” the Palestinian cause, the Egyptian presidency in a statement said on Tuesday.
The presidency warned that such a proposal threatens the national security of countries in the region.
Earlier this month US President Donald Trump, standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House had said the Palestinians would be better off living outside of Gaza which has been bombed to rubble during Israel’s 15-month relentless attacks.
“I don’t think people should be going back,” Trump said. “You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that’s going to make people happy.”
The president insisted that Egypt and Jordan would have to take the Gazans.
Egypt will host an emergency Arab League summit on March 4 to discuss Arab efforts to oppose Trump’s plan and address calls for Egypt and Jordan to resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza. Both countries have rejected this proposal, citing concerns over national security.
On Friday, Arab leaders gathered in Riyadh, including representatives from Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan. Sources close to the discussions revealed that the talks centered around a proposed Egyptian plan that might involve up to $20 billion in funding over three years from Gulf and Arab states, though no official confirmation has been provided.
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Palestinians fear a repeat of the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, during which hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians were expelled or fled their homeland around the time of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.
According to Gaza authorities, the Israeli relentless bombardment on the Palestinian territory has killed more than 47,000 of the nearly 2 million Palestinians who live there.
Saudi Arabia also rejected any efforts to displace Palestinians from their land and reaffirmed its support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
