Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty arrived in Washington on Monday, where he was greeted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The visit comes amid strained Egypt-U.S. relations following comments by President Donald Trump regarding the Gaza Strip.
Trump suggested transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while stating that Palestinians would have no right of return. He proposed that neighboring Egypt and Jordan should instead absorb displaced Palestinians, a plan both countries have firmly rejected.
Trump also claimed he had spoken by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a claim refuted by Egyptian media citing an unnamed official source. Sisi has denounced the idea of forced Palestinian displacement as an “act of injustice” and a security threat to Egypt, stating his country would not participate.
Egypt currently hosts tens of thousands of Palestinians, while Jordan is home to several million.
In late January, Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with the United States to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas based on a two-state solution.