Nov 9, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
The
Egyptian government has reportedly rejected the United States’ proposal to
temporarily take administrative control of the Gaza Strip, stressing that Cairo
will never play a role in removing the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
The Wall Street Journal, citing senior Egyptian officials, reported on Wednesday that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has not accepted CIA Director William Burns’s proposal to manage security in Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA) is prepared to take over after the Israeli war in the besieged enclave ends.
The report
said that Sisi has emphasized that Cairo will never play a role in eliminating
Hamas, noting that his country needs the resistance group to help maintain the
security of Egypt’s border with Gaza.
It came a
day after Sisi and the visiting CIA chief held talks on a host of issues of
mutual concern, particularly the Israeli military onslaught against Gaza.
Also on
Wednesday, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi firmly rejected talks on
possible scenarios after Israel’s war against Gaza.
“Jordan
rejects any talks or scenarios on the post-war Gaza,” he said, adding that
circulated scenarios are “unrealistic and rejected, and Jordan will not engage
with them.”
Safadi went
on to say that Jordan is against any talk about governing Gaza after the war by
Arab or foreign forces.
He also
argued that Hamas represents an ideology, which is not easily eradicated.
“To bring
about a change in the situation, addressing the needs and rights of the
Palestinian people through a comprehensive peace agreement is essential,” he
stated.
Meanwhile,
Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of Hamas political bureau, said on Wednesday that
the resistance movement will continue to be the key player in the politics and
the administration of the Gaza Strip.
He also
noted that claims by US officials about the diminishing role of Hamas in Gaza
are in fact a sign they have failed to defeat the group after more than a month
of military action.
Israel
waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out a surprise attack,
dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, into the occupied territories in response to
the Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.
Tel Aviv
has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal
strip into a humanitarian crisis.
According
to the Gaza-based health ministry, at least 10,569 Palestinians have been
killed in the strikes, most of them women and children, while nearly 26,475
others have been injured.
--