Egypt Announces Start of Training Procedures for Palestinian Security Forces in Preparation for the Day After Gaza War

SadaNews - Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly emphasized on Wednesday the importance of the Palestinian state's authorities having "exclusive rights to bear arms", announcing that Egypt has begun procedures to train Palestinian security forces in preparation for the day after the Gaza war, affirming Cairo's welcome of "security guarantees" to prevent Hamas from returning to power in the Gaza Strip after the war, with international support.

This came during his participation in a meeting on "the day after and supporting stability in Gaza" on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Abul Gheit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti, and several officials from Arab and foreign countries, according to a statement from the Egyptian Prime Minister's office.

Madbouly began his speech by thanking French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting him to this meeting, and for his "historic decision to recognize the state of Palestine and his efforts to support Palestinian rights, which, together with Saudi efforts, led to the holding of a two-state solution conference".

He expressed Cairo's welcome for all efforts that "aim to reach a political settlement of the Palestinian issue, which requires supporting the efforts made by mediators to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stop the bloodshed, and aid the Palestinian people".

He also stressed the "rejection and condemnation of any attempts or ideas to displace the Palestinian people", warning that this could "broaden the scope of the conflict and extend it to the countries of the region in an uncontrollable manner".

Security Guarantees

Madbouly confirmed the importance of "the Palestinian state's authorities having the exclusive right to bear arms", adding: "We support having security guarantees for both the Palestinian and Israeli sides equally, through international support, which naturally excludes any role for Hamas or any other Palestinian faction in ruling the Gaza Strip, but rather all armed factions must hand over their weapons to the legitimate authority, which is the Palestinian Authority".

He pointed to the importance of "reaching a political agreement on these matters, including from the United States and Israel, with guarantees from the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and not initiating any security or military tracks without ensuring the political framework for establishing the state within a clear timeline and mechanisms".

The Egyptian Prime Minister highlighted the importance of "the effective participation of American forces on the ground" to ensure Israel's commitment to what is agreed upon regarding Gaza, after the war ends.

Earlier in August, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti pointed out that Egypt is coordinating with the Palestinian Authority and Jordan to train 5,000 Palestinian police officers to fill the security vacuum in Gaza in the event of a halt to the Israeli war on the Strip.

Abdel Atti added in an interview with the local Egyptian DMC channel that plans to fill the security vacuum in the Strip also include deploying 5,000 additional officers from the Palestinian Authority's police.

He continued: "The vision is clear regarding the administration of Gaza after the war, and it will be discussed at a conference for the reconstruction of the Strip after the war".

He explained that "there has been an agreement with all relevant parties on 15 prominent technocrat figures in Gaza to manage the Strip for six months, to be a real nucleus for establishing security and law in Gaza".