Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty informed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Arab nations have rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the area.
According to Egypt’s foreign ministry, during a meeting in Washington, Abdelatty emphasized the need to accelerate Gaza’s reconstruction while Palestinians remain in the region.
Following the meeting, a statement from the U.S. State Department did not directly mention Trump’s plan but noted that Rubio “reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning for Gaza’s governance and security, emphasizing that Hamas must never govern Gaza again or pose a threat to Israel.”
Abdelatty expressed his eagerness to collaborate with the new U.S. administration to achieve “comprehensive and just peace and stability” in the region, as stated by Egypt’s foreign ministry. He also met with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in a separate meeting, where he reiterated similar sentiments, according to the foreign ministry.
The idea of Palestinians leaving Gaza, which they seek as part of an independent state, has long been unacceptable to the Palestinian leadership. Neighboring Arab nations have also rejected such proposals since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.
Israel’s military assault on Gaza, which is currently on hold due to a fragile ceasefire, has claimed the lives of over 47,000 Palestinians in the past 16 months, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The offensive has sparked accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.
The assault has also led to the internal displacement of nearly Gaza’s entire population and resulted in a severe hunger crisis. The latest wave of violence in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports.