Egypt reaffirms rejection of Palestinian displacement as Trump pushes for relocating Gazans

CAIRO – 26 January 2025: Egypt has reiterated its categorical rejection of any infringement on the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights, whether through settlement expansion, land annexation, or evacuating Palestinian lands from their owners.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed in a statement on Sunday that Egypt rejects “the displacement or encouragement of the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or in the long term.”

Egypt warned that such actions “threaten stability and risk escalating the conflict across the region, undermining the prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”

The ministry’s remarks come shortly after US President Donald Trump has unveiled a proposal to “clean out” Gaza by pushing Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinian people from Gaza.

“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’,” Trump told reporters.

Trump added that the move “could be temporary” or “could be long-term.”

The US president said he made the request to Jordan's King Abdullah and is planning to also ask Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday.

The Egyptian Presidency has not issued a statement on whether the call was conducted until the time of writing (Sunday, 23:30).

Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have all condemned the idea.

Trump 🇺🇸 casually reveals the intent to ‘clear out’ Palestinians from Gaza 🇵🇸 to Egypt 🇪🇬 and Jordan.

It’s illegal annexation by Israel 🇮🇱
It’s racist ethnic cleansing
It’s a crime against humanity.

Recognise Palestine 🇵🇸 today, before it’s too late. pic.twitter.com/7XlAKMUTiZ

— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) January 26, 2025

Egypt has long expressed rejection of Israeli schemes to displace Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Sisi has stressed the deportation of Palestinians is a “red line for Egypt” and will not be allowed.

Many activists and rights groups have condemned Trump’s remarks as a proposal for “ethnic cleansing.”

His statements come amid a fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which only took place seven days ago, halting over 15 months of war in which Israel killed over 47,000 people and displaced the majority of the 2.3 million population.

Under the ceasefire, Hamas and Israel swapped seven Israeli captives out of dozens more still held in the enclave for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Israel has prevented the return of Palestinians internally displaced by the war in Gaza to their homes in the north, reportedly opening fire on civilians and killing one.#Egypt #Palestine #MiddleEast #Israel #GAZA | #تحيا_مصر #مصر #فلسطين #إسرائيل #غزة #تضامناً_مع_فلسطين #هدنة… pic.twitter.com/3kNUHvtTkz

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) January 25, 2025

In Sunday’s statement, the foreign ministry expressed Egypt’s unwavering support for the resilience of the Palestinian people in their homeland and their pursuit of legitimate rights under the principes of international law and international humanitarian law.

IMPLEMENTING TWO-STATE SOLUTION

The Egyptian foreign ministry called upon the international community to take concrete steps toward implementing the two-state solution.

“This includes the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing its entire national territory, ensuring the unity of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the 4 June 1967 borders”

Egypt stressed steadfast commitment to the constants and determinants of the political settlement for the Palestinian cause, reiterating that it remains the central cause in the Middle East.

The ministry warned that ongoing “delay in resolving the Palestinian cause, ending the Israeli occupation, and restoring the usurped rights of the Palestinian people is the basis for instability in the region.”