From left, Jordan’s FM Ayman Safadi, Saudi FM Faisal bin Farhan, Egypt’s FM Badr Abdelatty, Qatar’s FM Mohammed Al Thani, and Emirati FM Abdullah bin Zayed – File photos
CAIRO – 31 January 2025: Cairo will host a meeting on Saturday for the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as reported by the Egyptian state news agency MENA.
Hussein El Sheikh, Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, and Ahmed Abul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, will also attend.
Prior to the seven-party meeting, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty will hold a bilateral meeting with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi. They will also meet separately with El Sheikh.
According to Jordan's AlMamlaka TV, the expanded meeting will address regional developments, particularly efforts to solidify the current ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensure the delivery of adequate and sustainable humanitarian aid.
The foreign ministers will emphasize the importance of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to fulfill its international mandate.
MOUNTING PRESSURES
These discussions take place amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for Egypt and Jordan to accept displaced Palestinians as part of a plan he refers to as the Gaza “clean out” plan.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’,” Trump told reporters.
Trump added that the move “could be temporary” or “could be long-term.”
Thousands of the Egyptian Civil forces headed towards the Rafah border crossing to stage a big protest against the US/Israeli plans of displacing the Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan and the liquidating the Palestinian cause#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/sbMtyXULnV
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) January 31, 2025
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan firmly categorically rejected the proposal.
In a press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday, Sisi stressed that displacing Palestinians from Gaza would constitute “an injustice that Egypt cannot be part of.”
Sisi highlighted Egypt’s warning since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023 of any attempts to make life in the Gaza Strip unbearable, ultimately leading to the displacement of the Palestinian people.
“The historical injustice inflicted upon the Palestinians, along with their previous displacement from areas that were assured for their possible return after reconstruction, cannot be allowed to happen again,” Sisi stated.
He emphasized that if such an event were to occur, the Egyptian people would take to the streets to reject it, declaring to me, “Do not participate in injustice.”
Sisi reiterated that there can never be any leniency or allowance for actions that threaten Egypt's national and Arab security.
Meanwhile, the president affirmed Egypt's determination to work with Trump to achieve a desired peace based on the two-state solution.
King Abdullah II also underscored the nation’s “firm position on the need to keep the Palestinians on their land and to guarantee their legitimate rights, in accordance with the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution.”
Trump's pressures coincide with a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, effective since January 19, which has paused over 15 months of war that killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, injured over 111,000 injuries, and displaced most of the population since October 7, 2023.
Military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades Abu Ubeida announced the names of Israeli captives whom will be handed over on Saturday to the Red Cross, within the framework of prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel#Egypt #Africa #MENA https://t.co/PpSMHkhaav
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) January 31, 2025
Since the ceasefire began, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza following Israel's approval under the terms of the agreement.
Over the past two weeks, Hamas has so far released 15 captives taken during the 2023 attacks, including 10 Israelis and 5 Thai nationals, in exchange for Israel's release of 400 Palestinian prisoners, including dozens serving life sentences.
On Saturday, both sides are expected to implement a fourth exchange, swapping three Israelis for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
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