A planned visit by Egypt President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to Washington, D.C., scheduled for February 18, has been postponed indefinitely, official sources told Daily News Egypt on Tuesday.
The delay stems from Cairo’s opposition to a U.S. proposal, reportedly championed by President Donald Trump, to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan.
The announcement comes as Trump reiterated his suggestion that the U.S. would take control of Gaza, during a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House on Tuesday.
This was their first meeting since Trump publicly suggested the plan to take over the enclave and potentially move its population of two million Palestinians to other countries in the region, including Jordan.
Earlier in the week, Trump had suggested he could withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt unless they agreed to accept Gazans, a proposition that Egypt has openly and privately refused.
In the preceding week, Egypt warned Israel against implementing any plan to displace Palestinians, openly rejecting such proposals and initiating a diplomatic effort to prevent their implementation, following the U.S. proposal for the mass relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Concurrently, Egypt has launched behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to counter the U.S. plan for mass relocation, according to the Associated Press. Speaking anonymously on Wednesday, Egyptian officials stated that Cairo has informed the Trump administration and Israel of its opposition to any such proposal, adding that the nearly half-century-old peace deal with Israel is at risk.
A Western diplomat in Cairo, also speaking anonymously to AP, confirmed receiving this message from Egypt through multiple channels. The diplomat characterized Egypt’s position as serious, viewing the plan as a threat to its national security.
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, is already home to millions of Palestinians and has rejected the proposal. After his meeting with Trump, King Abdullah said Jordan’s “steadfast position [is] against the displacement of Palestinians.”
While King Abdullah sat beside him, Trump defended his proposal to take over Gaza, suggesting that it could lead to significant job creation and economic prosperity in the region, potentially becoming “a diamond.”
He further expressed that the U.S. no longer needed to pressure other countries to participate in his vision. King Abdullah, who has quietly voiced concerns about Jordan’s capacity to absorb large numbers of Palestinians, stated a comprehensive solution was necessary for the best interests of all parties.
King Abdullah indicated that further discussion was needed and suggested waiting for Egypt to present alternative ideas.
While Jordan would accept 2,000 Palestinian children cancer patients for medical care, he reiterated on X, formerly Twitter, his “steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” describing it as a “unified Arab position.”
He emphasised that the priority should be rebuilding Gaza without displacement and addressing the humanitarian crisis. Jordan, already hosting millions of descendants of Palestinian refugees and recent refugees from Syria, relies heavily on U.S. aid.
The United Nations has warned that the forced displacement of civilians from occupied territory is a breach of international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
A counter-proposal, supported by several Arab states, is reportedly under development by Egypt, envisioning a future governance structure for Gaza led by a local administration of Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas.
To address the unfolding situation, Egypt announced it would host an emergency Arab League summit on February 27 to discuss developments in the Palestinian territories, following extensive consultations with Arab nations, including a request from Palestine. These discussions come as Egypt has been rallying regional support against US President Donald Trump’s plan.
During his visit to the US, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s discussions with US. leaders this week focused heavily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Egypt’s top diplomat told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Arab states rejected Trump’s widely condemned plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the enclave.
He emphasized Egypt’s commitment to facilitating the situation, as well as the need to accelerate recovery and reconstruction in the region. Abdelatty told congressional leaders that Egypt would continue its efforts to achieve regional security and stability, and a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis, based on international law and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state through a two-state solution.
