Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli has reiterated Egypt’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and firm rejection of any schemes aimed at displacing Palestinians or undermining their right to statehood.
During talks he held with the visiting Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mostafa in the coastal city of New Alamein on Sunday, Dr Madbouli underscored Egypt’s commitment to ending the war in Gaza and upholding the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He renewed Egypt’s rejection of settlement expansion, home demolitions, and attempts to alter the demographic realities in the occupied territories. Madbouli also highlighted Egypt’s continued humanitarian support through the Rafah border crossing and its diplomatic engagement with Qatar and the United States to secure a ceasefire and ensure the sustainable flow of aid into Gaza.
The two prime ministers reviewed preparations for the Cairo conference on early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, which Egypt intends to host following a ceasefire. Madbouli reaffirmed Egypt’s consistent stance on upholding international legitimacy in relation to the Palestinian cause and its commitment to preserving the unity of Palestinian lands – the West Bank and Gaza – under the Palestinian Authority.
For his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Mostafa commended Egypt’s steadfast backing, under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, of the Palestinian people, describing it as a historic position that will be remembered by future generations. He stressed that without Egypt’s firm opposition to forced displacement, the Palestinian cause would not have survived to this day.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati, who attended the meeting, praised the level of Egyptian-Palestinian coordination, especially regarding the preparations to convene an international conference for Gaza reconstruction and early recovery to follow a ceasefire. He also stressed the importance of simultaneously abiding by the political horizon as represented by the two-state solution.
Egypt has, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over recent reports of Israeli consultations with some countries regarding the possible relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to their territories, as part of a rejected Israeli policy aimed at emptying Palestinian lands of their rightful inhabitants, occupying them, and ultimately eliminating the Palestinian cause.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry yesterday, Egypt noted that its contacts with the countries reportedly willing to host Palestinians indicated their refusal to accept such detestable schemes.
Egypt, the statement went on, reiterates its categorical rejection of any Israeli plans to displace the Palestinian people from their historical lands, whether in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, under any pretexts, justifications, or labels – be it forced displacement or voluntary relocation through policies of starvation, land confiscation, settlement expansion, and making life on Palestinian soil unlivable.
