WASHINGTON: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Arab states support Palestinians in rejecting US President Donald Trump鈥檚 plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the enclave.
In a statement, Egypt鈥檚 foreign ministry said Abdelatty, in a meeting in Washington, stressed the importance of expediting Gaza鈥檚 reconstruction while Palestinians remain there.
Abdelatty, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, said he was looking forward to working with the new US administration to achieve 鈥渃omprehensive and just peace and stability鈥� in the region, according to the statement.
Any suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza, which they want as part of an independent state, has been anathema to the Palestinian leadership for generations and neighboring Arab states have rejected it since the Gaza war began in 2023.
Egypt鈥檚 foreign ministry said on Monday that the international community should unify behind Palestinians to right 鈥渉istoric injustice鈥� and restore their 鈥渓egitimate and inalienable rights.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 plan has received global condemnation, with regional and global leaders saying such a move would threaten regional stability.
He said in excerpts from a Fox News interview on Monday that Palestinians would not have the right of return to Gaza under his proposal.