When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty by phone on September 30 after U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan had been announced, Abdelatty told him that Egypt welcomed the initiative. He also reiterated Egypt’s concerns: that there be an immediate ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, urgent entry of humanitarian aid “in quantities that match the scale of the crisis,” and no displacement of Palestinians. He stressed “the need to preserve the territorial link between Gaza and the occupied West Bank,” Egypt’s semi-official daily, Al Ahram, reported.
Abdelatty “also emphasized the importance of opening a `credible political horizon’ based on a two-state solution, guaranteeing Palestinians’ legitimate rights, including self-determination and statehood,” Al Ahram added.
Two interviews given by Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), this week provide some insight into what went into the Egyptian government’s evaluation of the Trump plan.
President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war underwent major changes, shifting from an initial draft shaped by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a more balanced framework influenced by Arab and Islamic pressure, Rashwan told the Extra News channel on Oct. 1.
He described two phases: before the Sept. 9 Israeli strike on Qatar and after the Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha in response. Arab unity and the threat that Arab signers of the Abraham Accords could pull out forced Washington to change course, he said. “Trump realized that what he was hearing through Netanyahu was not the whole truth, so he opened a direct channel with Arab and Islamic states, something the U.S. does not usually do.”
The plan still lacks clear timelines or mechanisms for implementation, Rashwan cautioned in that interview. But he also emphasized in the interview, and in another given on Oct. 2 to Sky News Arabia, the significance of Article 12 of the Trump plan, which affirms that no one will be forced to leave Gaza and that anyone who does leave retains the right to return.
This explicit rejection of the displacement of Palestinians and guarantee of the right of return “is significant, because it closes the door to displacement as one of the gravest fears Palestinians have faced since the beginning of this war,” he said. “This is not just a slogan; it is the essence of the Palestinian cause. And in Israel, even mentioning the Right of Return is considered taboo, a threat to the very existence of the state."Oct. 2, 2025 (EIRNS)—When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty by phone on September 30 after U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan had been announced, Abdelatty told him that Egypt welcomed the initiative. He also reiterated Egypt’s concerns: that there be an immediate ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, urgent entry of humanitarian aid “in quantities that match the scale of the crisis,” and no displacement of Palestinians. He stressed “the need to preserve the territorial link between Gaza and the occupied West Bank,” Egypt’s semi-official daily, Al Ahram, reported.
