Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is refusing to visit President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, unless he agrees to not discuss his plan for America to “take over” Gaza, an anonymously sourced report in Reuters indicated on Wednesday.
Trump stunned the world in early February by proposing that the U.S. government “take over” the Gaza Strip, allowing its captive population to find refuge elsewhere and rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed in the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza’s ruling authority, the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas. Trump has referred to Gaza as a “demolition” site and indicated that, in addition to rebuilding infrastructure, peace in the region would require the destruction of Hamas’s sprawling terrorist infrastructure, including underground facilities, hospitals and schools outfitted to hide weapons, and unexploded munitions.
Trump most recently repeated his plan to integrate Gaza into the United States during a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II on Tuesday, declaring, “we’re going to have it, we’re going to keep it, and we’re going to make sure that there’s going to be peace.”
“I did very well with real estate. I can tell you about real estate. They’re going to be in love,” Trump told reporters.
Citing two sources in the Egyptian government, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Sisi has effectively ruled out visiting the United States unless Trump stops promoting his Gaza plan. Multiple reports indicated, though neither government confirmed, that Trump invited Sisi to visit the White House during a conversation in early February and that Sisi was expected to accept before Trump unveiled his Gaza proposal.
Egypt particularly objects to Trump’s calls to allow the civilian population of Gaza to escape the war-torn area and his urging of Gaza’s neighbors to offer safe harbor. Egypt and Jordan are Gaza’s closest neighbors; Egypt and Israel are the only countries that share a land border with Gaza. While claiming to be enthusiastic supporters of the Palestinian cause, the governments of Egypt and Jordan aggressively oppose taking in Palestinian refugees, claiming that any civilian departure from Gaza to allow for reconstruction would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Sisi’s reported refusal to meet with Trump meant that King Abdullah got to Washington first. The king politely declined to endorse Trump’s plan during his time in the White House, insisting that Jordan would have to listen to an expected proposal for reconstructing Gaza from Egypt before agreeing to support any initiative. King Abdullah was nonetheless optimistic about the role Trump could play in ending the war between Israel and Hamas.
“I finally see somebody that can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace, and prosperity to all of us in the region,” Abdullah told reporters. “We have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of Jordan.”
Abdullah agreed as part of his meeting with Trump for Jordan to give refuge to 2,000 Gazan children who are sick or injured, including child cancer patients. Trump applauded the “beautiful gesture” as a first step towards making the reconstruction of Gaza possible.
“One of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in very ill-state to Jordan as quickly as possible,” the Jordanian king told reporters. “And, then wait for the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can work with president.”
King Abdullah reportedly debriefed with Sisi after his meeting with Trump. Readouts of a call between the two leaders shared that both were committed to “working closely with US President Trump to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East,” but not at the expense of housing Palestinian refugees from Gaza, who “must not be displaced.”
Egypt introduced an incomplete plan to keep America from rebuilding Gaza on Wednesday that required global financial support and would somehow be possible without moving civilians out of the areas that require extensive rehabilitation.
“Egypt aims to implement an early recovery plan to meet the humanitarian needs of the Strip, including food, water, sanitation, and healthcare for the population,” Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy told the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram. “The plan also seeks to revitalize the local economy, helping Gaza recover from this devastating aggression and restore minimum livable conditions before transitioning to a full reconstruction phase.”
Ahram shared, citing other Middle Eastern outlets, that the Egyptian plan so far consists of “building safe housing units within 18 months” and creating “safe zones” within Gaza that would displace Palestinians from their homes but keep them in the Strip while reconstruction occurs, allowing Egypt and Jordan to get away with not accepting refugees.
“The plan will involve 24 multinational companies in reconstruction efforts, including debris removal in specific areas within six months,” the newspaper added.
Egypt called an emergency meeting of the Arab League this weekend scheduled for February 27 to specifically oppose Trump’s Gaza plan. Hegazy, the foreign ministry official, told Ahram that he believed the meeting would yield a comprehensive plan that would satisfy the international community and help Gaza’s neighbors avoid taking in Palestinians.
“The mere call for the displacement of a people from their land is a war crime being committed openly, and any action or statement in this direction should, in principle, be prosecuted,” Hegazy insisted.
