2024-04-13 19:34:33
“Gaza War”: Talk of “displacement” escalated in parallel with the stagnation of “truce” negotiations.
While the “stalemate” is blocking the course of negotiations aimed at achieving a “truce” in Gaza, during which a deal will be implemented to “exchange prisoners and detainees” between Israel and Hamas. Talk escalated again about the “displacement” issue, coinciding with international warnings that “a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah will push the residents of Gaza to flee to Egypt,” and with Europe’s announcement of supporting Cairo with one billion euros. To support it in facing the repercussions of the war.
During a phone call with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken (Friday), Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated “Cairo’s categorical rejection of attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians outside their lands, as this measure entails the goal of liquidating the Palestinian issue, in grave violation of the provisions of international law.” According to an official statement by the official spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid.
Shukry made a phone call with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Abu Zeid said, “Shukry and Blinken affirmed Israel’s rejection of any ground military operation in the Palestinian Rafah, especially in light of the grave humanitarian consequences of such an action, and its dangerous repercussions on the security and stability of the region.”
The phone conversations touched on “the growing tensions in the region, and the importance of working to contain the ongoing escalation.” “Because of its danger and negative effects on the stability of the region and its people,” according to the official statement.
Cairo and several Arab and Western countries have previously affirmed more than once their “rejection of displacing Palestinians inside or outside their lands.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi considered the “displacement” tantamount to “liquidation of the issue.”
Fears of “displacement” increased with repeated Israeli threats to carry out a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah, which is the last refuge for about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that “the date for the attack on Rafah has been set,” but he did not provide details.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said on Friday that “the attack on Rafah may make the displacement of Gazans to Egypt the only option available for their safety.” He added, in statements to Reuters news agency at the Commission’s headquarters in Geneva: “This dilemma is unacceptable, and the responsibility for avoiding it falls squarely on the shoulders of Israel, the occupying force in Gaza.”
He stressed that “another refugee crisis from Gaza to Egypt… will make it impossible to solve the Palestinian refugee issue resulting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” stressing: “We must do everything in our power to avoid such an exodus of the residents of Gaza.”
About 5.6 million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza occupied by Israel, most of them descendants of those who were forced or fled their homes following the 1948 war. The fate of refugees is one of the issues on the peace negotiation table. The Arab countries require that any future agreement stipulate their return, while Israel rejects this.
Professor of Political Science at Cairo University, Dr. Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayyed, links the escalation of talk about “displacement” to Netanyahu’s recent statements regarding setting a date for the invasion of Rafah. He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “These fears are exaggerated, and an attempt to give excessive importance to Netanyahu’s statements.”
He explained that “Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that no date has been set for carrying out the military operation in Rafah, and the United States itself said that there is no indication that such an operation is imminent.” He added: “It is unlikely that the Rafah invasion will be completed soon, as a military action of this size requires great arrangements and preparations, while efforts are now focused on monitoring developments with Iran.”
The former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi, agreed with him, and told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The escalation of talk about displacement now is akin to psychological warfare,” stressing that “Egypt will not allow displacement, and I do not believe that there is a country in the world that would accept such a thing.” This scenario,” referring to international warnings against carrying out a military operation in Rafah.
Several Arab and Western countries, including the United States, warned of the repercussions of carrying out a military operation in the densely populated Rafah. But Grandi said (Friday) that “the Commission is storing tents and supplies, and is working with countries in the region to develop their own contingency plans to confront the possible arrival of Gaza residents.” He added: “We are looking at the region, not only at the possibilities of displacement, but also at the possibility of the conflict expanding.”
This comes while “complications” continue to hinder the efforts of mediators in Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to establish a “truce” in Gaza, as Hamas and Israel have not yet announced their positions on an American proposal for an agreement that was presented during discussions that took place in Cairo, last Sunday.
In a related context, and to confront the economic repercussions of the war in Gaza, the European Union announced (Friday) that it “will provide Egypt with one billion euros ($1.07 billion) in the form of urgent, short-term financial aid to help stabilize its economy.” He pointed out that “this money will be provided to Egypt in the form of a loan, and will be disbursed in one lump sum.”
The federation said, in a press statement, that “the assistance aims to address the deteriorating financial situation and the country’s financing needs during the current months, especially in light of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the effects of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.”
As news of European aid circulated, activists on social media linked the European aid package to the plan to “displace Palestinians to Sinai,” but the professor of political science at Cairo University confirmed that “European aid to Egypt was negotiated and approved before the seventh of last October. That is, before the war in Gaza, and this aid is linked to projects implemented by Egypt.
Al-Sayed said, “The European aid package aims to reduce the deterioration of the economic situation in Egypt and limit irregular migration to Europe, especially since the poor economic conditions may push Egyptians to think about immigrating to Europe.”
Here, the former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, who previously participated in partnership negotiations with the European Union, confirmed that “European aid to Egypt is linked to economic projects, and comes within the framework of a partnership agreement between the two sides, and is in no way linked to the Palestinian displacement or displacement issue.”
The billion euros are “part of a larger package of 5 billion euros that will be provided in the form of loans,” according to the European Union statement, and another 4 billion euros in long-term aid are scheduled to be allocated during the period between 2024 and 2027, after being approved by the 27 members of the bloc.
The statement noted that “as a precondition, Egypt must continue to take concrete and credible steps towards respecting effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, the rule of law, and ensuring respect for human rights.”
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