Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty arrived in Washington , being greeted by his counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Egypt-US relations have soured following recent comments made by US President Donald Trump on turning the Gaza strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East” and saying that the Palestinian population would have no right of return.
Instead, Trump proposed that Palestinians should be taken in by neighbouring countries Egypt and Jordan.
Both Egypt and Jordan’s Foreign Ministries have firmly rejected the idea.
Trump also claimed that he had spoken to Egyptian President el-Sisi on the phone, with Egyptian media however refuting the claim, citing an unnamed official source.
Sisi called the proposed forced displacement of Palestinians an “act of injustice” in which his country would not participate, adding that the plan represented a security concern for his country.
Tens thousands of Palestinians currently live in Egypt, while Jordan is home to several million.
Sisi affirmed in late January that Egypt would be working with the US to reach a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas based on a two-state solution.
Africanews/Hauwa M.
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