CAIRO – Egypt yesterday called for the swift reconstruction of Gaza and said Palestinians should not have to leave the territory, where the Palestinian Authority should “assume its duties”.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s call came during pre-scheduled talks with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa in Cairo, hours after a shock proposal from president Donald Trump for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its people in other countries.

Trump has previously called for Palestinians to be moved from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan — both of which have flatly rejected the idea.

Egypt’s foreign ministry statement yesterday stopped short of referring directly to Trump’s latest announcement on a US takeover of the territory. Abdelatty and Mustafa agreed on “the importance of moving forward with early recovery projects… at an accelerated pace… without the Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip, especially with their commitment to their land and refusal to leave it”, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

At the White House yesterday, Trump in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East.

But Egypt and Jordan, key US allies, have both said they would not participate in Trump’s plan to “clean out” the territory, calling for the implementation of a two-state solution.

Abdelatty yesterday said Egypt believed in the “importance of empowering the Palestinian Authority politically and economically, and its assuming its duties in the Gaza Strip as part of the occupied Palestinian territories”.

Hamas, which seized sole control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, is not a part of the Palestinian Authority, which is recognised by the international community, but only has partial control of the West Bank.

Also, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy yesterday said Palestinians should be able to “live and prosper” in Gaza and the West Bank, hitting back at Trump’s proposal to take over the Gaza Strip

“We must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza, in the West Bank. That is what we want to get to,” Lammy said at a press conference in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Palestinian militant group Hamas yesterday condemned a proposal by Trump to “take over” and “own” Gaza, saying it will fan the flames of Middle East violence.

Hamas said in a statement that the proposal “aiming for the United States to occupy the Gaza Strip” was “aggressive to our people and cause, won’t serve stability in the region, and will only put oil on the fire”. 

– Nampa/AFP