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February 13, 2025 | 11:34 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will not travel to Washington for talks at the White House as long as the agenda includes U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said.
Trump has infuriated the Arab world with a plan to permanently displace the population of more than 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, claim U.S. control of it and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
He has demanded Egypt and Jordan take in the Palestinians, and has threatened to withdraw aid from the two U.S.-allied Arab states if they refuse.
Egypt has said Trump had extended an open invitation to Sisi to visit the White House earlier this month. A U.S. official said no date for such a visit has been set. The Egyptian presidency and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jordan's King Abdullah appeared uncomfortable during a meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, at which Trump discussed his Gaza plan.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty visited Washington this week. The Egyptian sources said one aim of his trip was to avert a potentially awkward presidential visit.
According to the Egyptian sources, it was made apparent to Abdelatty during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the displacement plan would be on the table if Sisi visited.
Abdelatty responded that such a meeting would be of no use, and that any discussion should be over Egypt's own plan for reconstruction of Gaza, the sources said. Egypt has said its plan would "ensure Palestinians remain on their land".
Sisi and King Abdullah spoke on the phone on Wednesday and urged that Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, the Egyptian presidency said.
The two leaders expressed keenness for Trump to lead a pathway for achieving a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and to closely cooperate to establish permanent peace in the Middle East region.
MILITARY AID
Egypt's close cooperation with the United States has been a bedrock of Washington's Middle East policy for decades. Since a U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Israel and Egypt more than four decades ago, Egypt has consistently been one of the biggest recipients of U.S. military aid, alongside Israel.
The Egyptian sources said Rubio did not repeat to Abdelatty previous threats by Trump to withdraw military and other aid, though he did urge Egypt to consider Trump's plan.
Last year, the U.S. allocated $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, and in December it approved the potential sale of more than $5 billion worth of arms.
"There is no supplier that compares to the Americans, which is why for so long Egypt has been happy to maintain this relationship, but it wouldn't be at the expense of their own national interest," said H.A. Hellyher, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
Sisi has repeatedly said Egypt would never facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, which Cairo would view as a serious threat to Egypt's own security, including by breeding extremism and providing a pretext for future Israeli attacks, as well as an injustice to the Palestinians.
REUTERS
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