Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited Egypt on 19 October for talks aimed at deescalating the situation in the besieged Gaza Strip, where Israeli warplanes have been mercilessly bombarding civilians since the outbreak of Hamas’ daring operation earlier this month.
A joint Egyptian-Jordanian statement released following meetings between Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi states that “if the war does not stop and continues to expand, it will take the region down a dangerous path that poses the threat of a catastrophe.”
The statement also rejected “any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians to Jordan or Egypt,” as well as “the policy of collective punishment, such as siege or starvation.”
Egypt and Jordan condemned Israel’s bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza on 17 October, which killed hundreds of innocent Palestinians in a matter of seconds.
They also called for the immediate end of the war, the protection of civilians, and the revival of the peace process based on the principle of the two-state solution.
Just two days ago, Abdullah II issued a stern warning during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding Israeli attempts to displace the population of Gaza into Egypt’s Sinai desert.
“That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground. No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt,” he said.
The king’s warning refers to a decades old plan dating back to before the formation of the State of Israel in 1948.
This ‘Transfer Plan’ – originally formulated by the Zionist militias operating in Palestine, and then endorsed by the government of Israel post-1948 – calls for mass expulsion of Palestinians to the Sinai desert.
After Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in 1967, the idea of pushing Palestinians towards Jordan became included in the ‘Transfer Plan.’
Israel forced many to migrate towards Jordan over the years, particularly after 1967 and with the rapid expansion of illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank.
However, the ‘Transfer Plan’ was never officially implemented, and is a violation of UN Resolution 194, which was issued in 1948 and legitimizes the right of return for Palestinian refugees expelled from their homes.
During a meeting between Sisi and Scholz on 18 October, the Egyptian President also rejected any “attempt to push civilians to seek refuge and migrate to Egypt.”
“Millions of Egyptians are ready to demonstrate in rejection of the idea of displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” Sisi added.
Since the start of the bombing campaign against Gaza, Israeli officials have openly called for ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion.
Sisi also told Scholz during their meeting that “Egypt did not close the Rafah crossing, but the Israeli bombing of the Palestinian side of the crossing prevented it from working.”
Egypt is currently carrying out repair works on its side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, the only aid route into the besieged enclave, which has been repeatedly bombed by Israel since the start of the ongoing battle.
On 18 October, the White House announced an agreement with Egypt to allow the entry of around 20 aid trucks into the strip, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden that day that Israel would not block their entry.
Wednesday’s announcement is the third claim that aid access has been secured. However, the aid has so far been prevented by Israel from entering Gaza, with hundreds of trucks currently stuck at the border.