Egypt and the US are at odds over a plan to relocate 2 million Palestinians from Gaza.
The US has proposed that 2 million Palestinians be moved to Egypt and Jordan so that the US can take control of the territory. But Egyptians are worried about this idea, saying it would mean giving Israel an excuse to attack them on Egyptian soil.
Egypt’s President Sisi is facing a tough time with his country‘s main Western ally, the US. The two countries have had a peace treaty for many years, which has kept stability in the Middle East and helped Egypt get $1.3 billion in military aid last year.
Some Egyptians are saying that the US military aid is not important to them and that they won’t be pressured into accepting it. Meanwhile, Egyptian officials are talking about building 200,000 homes in Gaza without forcing Palestinians to leave their land.
The US Secretary of State said recently that Arab states don‘t like the Trump Gaza plan. Egypt has called for an Arab summit to discuss an alternative vision for Gaza, which includes a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal that would sideline Hamas.
Egypt wants to train a new security group and identify Palestinian technocrats who are not affiliated with any political faction to be in charge of early recovery projects. The country remains committed to the two-state solution, which envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Many Egyptians are worried about hosting more Palestinians, saying it would cause domestic turmoil and make life harder for them. They point out that Egypt already hosts over 100,000 Gazans and fear that this number could increase.