Leaders of Egypt and Jordan explicitly rule out Trump’s plan to displace Gazans
Sissi says Cairo ‘can’t take part’ in forced emigration due to its ‘historic position’ on Palestinian cause; Jordan’s king stresses ‘need to keep the Palestinians on their land’

The leaders of Egypt and Jordan voiced an explicit rejection Wednesday of a plan floated by US President Donald Trump to move Palestinians from the territory to the two Arab countries, a day after Trump insisted that they would agree to it.
“The constants of Egypt’s historic position on the Palestinian cause… can never be compromised,” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said during a news conference in Cairo with Kenyan President William Ruto, adding that the forced displacement of Gazans was “injustice that we cannot take part in.”
“Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Palestinians, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security,” Sissi said.
Sissi said Egypt supported “the establishment of a Palestinian state and the preservation of its capabilities, particularly its people and its territory.”
He added that Egypt was “determined to work with President Trump, who seeks to achieve the desired peace based on the two-state solution. We believe that President Trump is capable of fulfilling this long-awaited goal of establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
Hours later, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Palestinians must remain on their land.
According to the country’s royal palace, the king 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 US president on Saturday floated the idea to “clean out” Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas had reduced the Strip to what he called a “demolition site.”

Asked about those comments, Trump doubled down on Monday, telling reporters on Air Force One Monday evening he would “like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption and revolution and violence so much.”
“When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years,” Trump said. “There have been various civilizations on that strip. It didn’t start here. It started thousands of years before, and there’s always been violence associated with it. You could get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable.”
Both Egypt and Jordan came out strongly against Trump’s idea, saying that Palestinians should be allowed to remain in Gaza and underlining concerns that Palestinians who decamp for safety may never be allowed to return. But Wednesday’s comments by Sissi and Abdullah were the most explicit to date in rejecting the move.

Trump also said the issue would be discussed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the two met next week, amid speculation in Israel that Trump’s gambit was being coordinated with Jerusalem.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a minister in the decision-wielding security cabinet told The Times of Israel that Trump’s statements had likely been partially designed to help Netanyahu hang on to support from far-right allies who have destabilized his coalition in protest against the hostage release and ceasefire deal agreed to by his government this month under heavy US pressure.
The Prime Minister’s Office has announced that Netanyahu will travel to Washington next week and meet with Trump on Tuesday.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.