As millions of Egyptians took to the streets after Eid Al Fitr prayers which ended on March 30, formally ending Ramadan, which rallies were in solidarity with Palestine, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, have been working intensively to bring a ceasefire to Palestine, and immediately start reconstruction of shattered Gaza. Egypt is playing one of the leading roles to develop, not kill, Palestinians and their land.
On March 31, Egypt’s newspaper Al Ahram reports in an article, “Millions of Egyptians Rally with Palestinians Against Displacement,” that “millions of Egyptians gathered Monday [March 31] in massive rallies expressing their full support to the [Egyptian] political leadership’s stance against any plans aimed to displace the Palestinian people and liquidate the Palestinian cause.” The article is accompanied by a photo showing hundreds of thousands of people at a rally.
In parallel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Tamim Khallaf gave an interview to Al Ahram published on March 26. Asked about Egypt’s efforts now that Israel has resumed the war on Gaza, Ambassador Khallaf replied: “We are working two simultaneous tracks. We are exerting vigorous efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and prevent its unraveling. At the same time, we must make all necessary initial preparations for the reconstruction of Gaza so that we can hit the ground running once conditions are favorable. Reconstruction requires intensive planning, funding, and operational and logistical arrangements. Therefore, we will proceed with our efforts so that we will be all set once circumstances permit.”
Later, Khallaf said of Egypt’s reconstruction plan: “Egypt relied heavily on its extensive experience from previous reconstruction cycles in Gaza to develop it. It started as an Egyptian plan, then was endorsed as an Arab one, and is now gradually morphing into an international one after the significant global support it received. We will continue interacting positively with our American partners to see the plan come to fruition.”
Further on, challenged on whether Egypt is taking into account “Washington’s objections or skepticism,” Khallaf asserted: “We continue to engage positively with the U.S. administration…. Egypt and the United States share the same objective of a stable and peaceful Middle East, and it’s only natural that as strategic partners, we engage in a productive conversation to fulfill our common objectives.”
Indeed, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on March 31 about Gaza “and possible solutions,” which Trump claimed “went very well.”
Khallaf indicated that Egypt rejects moving Palestinians out of Gaza: “Palestinians are exceptionally sensitive to attempts to detach them for their homeland.” Khallaf’s interview would seem to indicate that despite Trump’s talk of a “Riviera in Palestine,” there is discussion with the administration about real reconstruction.
Egypt has the engineering, construction, and managerial skills to competently build or rebuild cities. It appears that it is determined to achieve that.
