Egypt Reiterates Rejection of Plots to ‘Displace Palestinians’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Alyahya on Friday night (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt reiterated on several occasions in the past two days its rejection of plots to forcibly displace the Palestinians, warning of the dangers of any Israeli invasion of Palestinian Rafah.
In a series of meetings held on the sidelines of his participation in the Munich Security Conference, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed his country’s rejection of forced displacement of Palestinians from their lands.
On Friday, Egypt had categorically denied allegations of participating in any process involving the displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip into the Sinai Peninsula, the country's State Information Service (SIS) said.
“Egypt's decisive stance since the beginning of the aggression ... is to completely reject any forced or voluntary displacement of Palestinian brothers from the Gaza Strip, especially to Egyptian territory,” Diaa Rashwan, the chairperson of the Egyptian State Information Service stated.
He added that such a scenario would entail “a definite liquidation of the Palestinian cause and a direct threat to Egyptian sovereignty and national security.”
This is “a red line and Cairo has the means to deal with it immediately and effectively,” Rashwan stressed.
Also, he said that “Egypt, with its declared and frank position, cannot take any actions on its territory that contradict this stance and give the impression – [that could be] falsely promoted by some - that it is participating in the crime of displacement advocated for by some Israeli parties.”
The SIS chief asserted that Egypt views forced displacement as a grave war crime condemned by international humanitarian law and “Egypt will never be part of it. On the contrary, it will do everything that must be done to stop it and prevent those who seek to commit it from carrying it out.”
Later during a meeting with Lieutenant General Hanen Ould Sidi, the Mauritanian Defense Minister, Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt's firm position calling for the need to avoid risks related to expanding the circle of conflict, and warned of the dangers of any Israeli invasion of Palestinian Rafah, which would have extremely negative repercussions at all levels.
On Friday night, Shoukry and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Abdullah Ali Alyahya, had exchanged assessments regarding the increasing tension in the region and the situation in the Gaza Strip, as they agreed on the necessity of continuing the necessary action and communication with various parties to prevent the expansion of the cycle of violence and conflict in the region.
An Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said the two sides also agreed to intensify coordination and joint action during the coming period to curb the crisis in the Gaza Strip and contain its repercussions, as well as to consolidate joint Arab action mechanisms in order to support the pillars of regional security and stability.