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Sisi Instructs Army to Protect Companies Operating In Sinai

An Egyptian military vehicle is seen on the highway in northern Sinai, Egypt, May 25, 2015. - REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih/File Photo
An Egyptian military vehicle is seen on the highway in northern Sinai, Egypt, May 25, 2015. - REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih/File Photo
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Sisi Instructs Army to Protect Companies Operating In Sinai

An Egyptian military vehicle is seen on the highway in northern Sinai, Egypt, May 25, 2015. - REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih/File Photo
An Egyptian military vehicle is seen on the highway in northern Sinai, Egypt, May 25, 2015. - REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih/File Photo

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered the military on Tuesday to protect companies operating in Sinai, warning “evil groups” against obstructing development projects in the area.

Attending the inauguration of a number of development projects in the Peninsula via videoconference, Sisi said: “Evil groups (active in Sinai) should clearly understand that the State is strongly securing those projects.”

In the past years, the Egyptian military and police in north and central Sinai governorate have battled armed groups, including 'Wilayat Sinai,” a local ISIS affiliate.

Those groups have escalated their attacks particularly after President Mohamed Morsi was removed from office in 2013.

However, in February 2018, the Egyptian military launched a major campaign against the militants and defeated them.

On Tuesday, Sisi saw the launch of the second stage of building the Ismailiya-Awja highway and the opening of the Ahmad Hamdi Tunnel, a 1640-meter long car tunnel under the Suez Canal at Shallufa.

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Arab World

Jordan King Insists Palestinians Must Remain on Their Land

King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
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Jordan King Insists Palestinians Must Remain on Their Land

King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)

Jordan's King Abdullah II said Wednesday that Palestinians must remain on their land, after US President Donald Trump floated an idea for Gazans to move to Jordan and Egypt.

He stressed during meetings in Brussels "Jordan'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", the royal palace said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza, which he called a "demolition site" following 15 months of Israeli bombardment that made most of its people homeless.

The war, set off by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their count.  

The fighting has obliterated vast areas of Gaza, displacing some 90% of its 2.3 million population, often multiple times. During its attack, Hamas took 250 people hostage and killed roughly 1,200.  

The theme of displacement has been recurrent in Palestinian history and the idea of staying steadfast on one's land is an integral element of the Palestinian identity. Palestinians fear that if they leave their land, they may never be allowed to return.  

Those fears have been compounded by far-right members of Israel's government who support rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza, from which Israel withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005. Netanyahu says that idea is unrealistic.  

Egypt and Jordan have each made peace with Israel but support the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. They fear that the permanent displacement of Gaza’s population could make that impossible.