Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Arab states support Palestinians in rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the enclave.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 10, 2025. Reuters/Craig Hudson
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Arab states support Palestinians in rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the enclave.
In a statement, Egypt's foreign ministry said Abdelatty, in a meeting in Washington, stressed the importance of expediting Gaza's reconstruction while Palestinians remain there.
Abdelatty, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, said he was looking forward to working with the new U.S. administration to achieve "comprehensive and just peace and stability" in the region, according to the statement.
Any suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza, which they want as part of an independent state, has been anathema to the Palestinian leadership for generations and neighbouring Arab states have rejected it since the Gaza war began in 2023.
Egypt's foreign ministry said on Monday that the international community should unify behind Palestinians to right "historic injustice" and restore their "legitimate and inalienable rights."
Trump's plan has received global condemnation, with regional and global leaders saying such a move would threaten regional stability.
He said in excerpts from a Fox News interview on Monday that Palestinians would not have the right of return to Gaza under his proposal.
Reporting by Muhammed Al Gebaly and Menna Alaa El-Din
The International Monetary Fund approved the disbursement of $1.2 billion to Egypt following completion of the fourth review of the country's $8 billion economic reform programme, after allowing Egypt to waive a primary budget surplus target.
Israel is actively encouraging U.N. agencies and other aid groups to take over the work of the U.N. Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, Israel's ambassador said on Monday, after banning the agency on Israeli territory in January.
Israel's suspension of goods entering Gaza is taking a toll on the Palestinian enclave, with some bakeries closing and food prices rising, while a cut in the electricity supply could deprive people of clean water, Palestinian officials said.
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