Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to visit US President Donald Trump in Washington in mid-February, following a phone call between the two presidents, according to an exclusive report by The New Arab’s Arabic language edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
According to official Egyptian sources, Sisi will travel to the US capital on 18 February to discuss a range of shared issues between the two countries, with the discussions centring on Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse residents of Gaza by transferring them to both Egypt and Jordan.
The same sources indicate that Sisi and Trump are also expected to discuss efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, including support for negotiations for the second phase of the agreement.
The two leaders will also explore permanent solutions to the Palestinian issue, and consider advancing a two-state solution as a guarantee for regional stability.
During his visit to Washington, Sisi is expected to present a comprehensive Egyptian plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Gaza, one which does not involve relocating Palestinian residents of the devastated enclave.
Sisi is likely to present a plan that sees Gazans participating in the rebuilding process, in coordination with several influential Arab actors.
Trump extended an open invitation to Sisi to visit Washington and meet with him at the White House during a phone call earlier this week.
This comes amid widespread controversy over Trump’s plan to “clean out” the population of Gaza, which led Egyptian authorities to coordinate protests by political groups, unions and civil society organisations at the Rafah crossing in opposition to the proposal.
After Trump doubled down on the proposal, Sisi called it “an injustice that we cannot take part in”, though he added that he was “determined to work with President Trump, who seeks to achieve the desired peace based on the two-state solution”.
Trump and Sisi enjoyed extremely cordial relations in Trump’s last term as president, with the far-right Republican infamously calling the Egyptian president his “favourite dictator”.Â
Trump has again reiterated the call for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza, stating that “Egypt and Jordan must accept them.”
When asked by reporters at the White House about the possibility of Egypt and Jordan taking in Palestinians from Gaza, Trump responded, “They will,” adding, “We have given them a lot, and they will do it.”
The New Arab, citing sources speaking to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, recently reported that during a visit to Cairo last Wednesday, a senior Trump administration official held discussions on both the controversial displacement plan and the ongoing dispute over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.
According to sources, the US envoy suggested that US involvement in resolving the dam crisis could be conditional on Egypt’s cooperation in relocating Gaza’s population to Egypt and Jordan.
