Egypt calls for global approach to protect Palestinian rights

CAIRO

Egypt called on the international community Monday to adopt an approach that upholds the Palestinian people’s right to live peacefully on their land, warning that “ignoring international legitimacy in addressing regional crises risks dismantling the foundations of peace.”

Since Jan. 25, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should be taken in by regional Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan, an idea rejected by Arab states and Palestinian leaders.

In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry highlighted the “critical and defining moment” that the Middle East is facing, emphasizing that the only way to address threats to regional and global stability stemming from Israel’s occupation and its recent assault on Gaza is for the international community to adopt a fair approach that respects the rights of all people in the region.

This includes the Palestinian people, who continue to face “unprecedented injustices,” including the fundamental right to live peacefully in their homeland, according to the statement.

Egypt urged international and regional actors “to unite behind a political vision for resolving the Palestinian issue,” stressing that this vision “must be based on ending the historical injustices faced by Palestinians and restoring their inalienable rights.”

Cairo reaffirmed its unwavering stance against any infringement on these rights, including Palestinians’ right to self-determination, territorial sovereignty and the return of refugees displaced from their homeland.

The statement also warned that “disregarding international legitimacy in managing regional conflicts threatens decades of efforts and sacrifices made to preserve and solidify peace.”

Egypt reiterated its commitment to working with regional and international partners to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel has imposed an 18-year blockade on Gaza, effectively turning the enclave into what has been described as the world's largest open-air prison. The blockade, coupled with Israel’s recent genocide, has forced nearly 2 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes under dire humanitarian conditions, including severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was “committed to buying and owning Gaza,” proposing that parts of the enclave be allocated to other Middle Eastern countries for reconstruction.

In response, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq dismissed the proposal, declaring in a statement Monday that “Gaza is not a piece of real estate for sale,” reaffirming that it remains an “inseparable part of occupied Palestinian land.”

He added that any attempt to treat the Palestinian cause as a real estate transaction is destined to fail, stressing that “our people will thwart all plans for displacement and forced expulsion. Gaza belongs to its people, and they will leave only to return to their cities and villages occupied in 1948.”