Madrid, Spain – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday urged the international community to adopt a plan to reconstruct war-torn Gaza without displacing its Palestinian residents. This call comes in response to a controversial proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump, which has sparked anger among Arab nations.
“We stressed the importance of the international community adopting a plan to reconstruct the Gaza strip without displacing Palestinians — I repeat, without displacing Palestinians from their lands,” President al-Sisi emphasized during a press conference with Spain’s Prime Minister in Madrid.
Trump’s proposal suggests transforming Gaza into an international beach resort after resettling its Palestinian inhabitants. He has called on Jordan and Egypt to take in the displaced Palestinians. However, Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab states have rejected the plan and are working on an alternative, though progress appears slow.
President al-Sisi also highlighted the critical role of the U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA), which provides essential aid, health, and education services to millions of Palestinians in the territories and neighboring countries. He stressed that UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and the West Bank are indispensable for the Palestinian people.
UNRWA has warned that its operations will suffer following an Israeli law that banned the agency from operating on Israeli land, including East Jerusalem, effective January 30. The law also prohibits contact between UNRWA representatives and Israeli authorities.
In a related development, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday that the UAE rejects any proposal to displace Palestinians from their land. This stance was reported by the Emirati state news agency WAM.
The leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar are expected to discuss the situation in Riyadh this month before presenting their collective position at an Arab League summit in Cairo in March.