Egypt Denounces Netanyahu's Statements and Affirms: We Will Not Be a Gateway for Displacement

SadaNews - On Friday, Cairo condemned the statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the displacement of Palestinians through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, emphasizing that it will not be a "gateway for displacement." The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying: "The Arab Republic of Egypt expresses its deep disapproval of the statements attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister regarding the displacement of Palestinians from their land, including through the Rafah crossing, as part of his ongoing attempts to prolong the escalation in the region and entrench instability to avoid facing the consequences of Israeli violations in Gaza, both internally and externally." Egypt also stressed that it "will never be a partner in this injustice by liquidating the Palestinian cause or become a gateway for displacement, and that this remains a red line that is not subject to change." The statement called for "confronting the state of chaos that Israel seeks to entrench in the region, stopping the fire in Gaza, Israel's withdrawal from the strip, and providing international support to empower the legitimate Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza, including at the crossings and to reopen them according to the relevant international agreements, including the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side regulated by the movement and access agreement of 2005." The statement continued: "The Arab Republic of Egypt reaffirms its condemnation and rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people under any name, whether forcibly or voluntarily, from their land through the continued targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure and various aspects of life forcing Palestinians to leave." Cairo also confirmed that "these practices are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and amount to crimes of ethnic cleansing, calling on the international community to activate accountability mechanisms for these declared crimes, which are gradually becoming a tool for political propaganda in Israel due to the absence of international justice." Egypt emphasizes the "responsibility of the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to provide protection for the Palestinian people and support their remaining on their land in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem." It also demands "pressuring Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian land and affirms its rejection of attempts to force the Palestinian people to choose between remaining under the fire of Israeli bombardment and systematic starvation or being expelled from their homeland and land, stressing that the realization of the Palestinian state along the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the inevitable option that will impose itself sooner or later as it is consistent with the right to self-determination, human rights, humanitarian logic, and all relevant international resolutions." Netanyahu had said earlier on Thursday in an interview with the "Abu Ali Express" channel on the Telegram platform that "there are different plans for how to reconstruct Gaza, but half of the population wants to leave Gaza; this is not mass expulsion." The Israeli Prime Minister added: "I can open the Rafah crossing for them, but it will be immediately closed by Egypt," pointing out that "the right to leave Gaza is a basic right for every Palestinian."