Egypt calls on EU to support Gaza reconstruction plan without displacing Palestinians

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called on the European Union to support his country’s plan for early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, a plan that does not include displacing the Palestinians from their land. Abdelatty made his call during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot.

The Egyptian official reviewed a comprehensive plan being developed by Cairo for the Gaza Strip with Palestinians remaining on their land, along with Arab support for Egyptian efforts in this regard, said the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tamim Khalaf.

Abdelatty said that he is looking forward to the support of the international community and EU countries, including France, for Egyptian efforts in this respect.

In response, the French foreign minister praised the important and pivotal role played by Egypt in reaching a ceasefire agreement and welcomed Egypt’s tireless efforts to formulate a comprehensive vision for early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian recovery plan for Gaza has been presented as an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan and turn the Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

READ: Israeli opposition leader accuses Netanyahu of violating Gaza ceasefire deal

Cairo is scheduled to host an emergency Arab summit on 4 March to discuss the plan that counters Trump’s proposal.

In a previous statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry stressed that any vision for resolving the Palestinian issue should avoid jeopardising peace in the region, while seeking to deal with the root causes of the conflict by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and implementing the two-state solution.

Trump’s displacement plan came amid the ceasefire agreement that took effect in Gaza on 19 January, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed at least 48,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins. The first phase of the ceasefire is due to end in a few days, and talks for the second phase appear to have stalled.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.