There is one main goal at heart of the current Israeli propaganda onslaught:

Distract the world away from its utter and shameful failures on October 7, 2023.

By the time the media and the masses have managed to deconstruct each of their ridiculous new lies and hoax claims, Israel has already strategically pushed out yet more disinformation and propaganda.

Now, it seems, the next phase of this media war is to divert global anger towards Egypt and Jordan:

Why are they not accepting the refugees?

We’re already seeing a rise in comments targeting Muslims for their supposed “all talk and no work” strategy.

In this brief article, I will attempt to provide further context to the Egyptian and Jordanian stance against displacing the civilians of Gaza. I will also try and shed some light on the Muslim and Arab solidarity, as well as the actions they demand from their leaders.

Rafah Crossing Tensions

In the rise of Al-Aqsa Flood incidents, news had surfaced globally regarding Egypt being the faithful ally that had actually warned Israel, a few days prior, about the possibility of an impending attack.

The Guardian had reported:

A senior US politician said Israel had received an official warning from Egypt of a possible attack from Gaza three days before Hamas launched its deadly cross-border assault on Saturday.

Michael McCaul, the chair of the US House foreign affairs committee, speaking after an intelligence briefing to senior members of Congress, said it was not clear at what level the warning was given.

“We know that Egypt has warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could happen,” McCaul, a Republican, told reporters on Wednesday. “I don’t want to get too much into classified [details], but a warning was given. I think the question was at what level.”

Egyptian officials, of course, have denied this claim. However, it is one particular detail that planted a seed of resentment and doubt within the Israeli public towards the competence and capability of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Next, you have the negotiations surrounding the Rafah border crossing. It is crucial to emphasize that this is a Palestinian-Egyptian border, and, based on the two-state solution, Israel should have no authority or say over it.

Regardless, Israel has always had a habit of intervening in relation to this crossing, under the guise of Camp David’s peace treaty. Following the Al-Aqsa Flood incidents, Israel had decided to cut off water, food, and electricity.

Dozens of humanitarian aid trucks were lined up for days at the Rafah crossing, on the Egyptian side. Israel, however, had made threats to attack the trucks if they passed through. According to Egyptian officials, “the crossing had come under Israeli bombardment on up to four occasions since the outbreak of the recent violence, causing severe disruptions to its normal operations.” This is despite the promise of a safe haven for Palestinian civilians in Southern Gaza.

In response to this, “Egypt has said it will allow foreigners and Palestinian dual nationals through the Rafah crossing on the condition that Israel allows humanitarian aid in.”

Anthony Blinken visited Egypt’s President, Al-Sisi for negotiations, but the situation was not resolved. Observers have also noted Al-Sisi’s non-agreeable public response to Blinken, which likely resulted in a rise in diplomatic tensions.

Refusing Palestinian Immigration

On October 13, 2023, the IDF instructed Gazans to evacuate the Northern part of the strip and head south towards the Rafah border.

Noting this, Egypt was swift in warning against Israel’s plan to displace the Palestinians. The Egyptian concerns were confirmed by Danny Ayalon’s suggestion for evacuation to Sinai. The controversial Bassem Youssef (an extremely problematic individual that should not be taken seriously) had also mocked this as an obvious plan for a new Nakba, one that only the foolish would overlook.

When Al-Sisi met with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the immigration proposal officially made it to the media. Al-Sisi, however, emphasized his refusal and suggested that they be hosted in the Naqab/Negev desert instead.

France24 reports:

Dismissing comments by pundits about Sinai being a sparsely populated desert area, Sisi suggested Israel’s Negev Desert as an alternative refuge for Gazans.

 

“Palestinians could be moved there until Israel is finished with what it has declared is an operation to eliminate armed groups” from Gaza, the president said.

 

“And then it could return them if it wished,” he added.

It is evidently clear to everyone that Israel would never accept Palestinians as refugees on Israeli land. Even Danny Ayalon, in the interview with Al Jazeera, had reacted to the idea with a mocking smile.

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The Camp David Accords

Egypt’s justification for refusing immigration was their respect for the Camp David Accords.

Al-Sisi has indeed worked harder than previous Egyptian presidents to clear Sinai of militants against Israel. And it is also true that Palestinians will continue the armed resistance wherever they reside.

As such, it is highly likely that the Egyptian army would end up being drawn into this regional war, especially if social ties, like marriage and kinship, foster between Egyptians and Palestinian refugees.

The media is now framing the Egyptian position as fear of Palestinian terrorism, when in reality it is nothing more than a tactic to avoid future military conflicts with Israel.

Although there has been no official declaration made to this effect, Al-Sisi’s position might be the diplomatic way of saying: “we’ll fight for the Gaza Strip.” This interpretation is also more in line with the views of the Egyptian public.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has also declared that displacing Palestinians is a “red line” for both Egypt and Jordan:

Jordanian King Abdullah II says that neither his country nor Egypt will accept Palestinian refugees, declaring it a “red line.”

At a press conference held after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Abdullah says that “some of the usual suspects are trying to create facts on the ground,” according to Sky News Arabia.

“There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt.”

The Jordan Times reports:

Jordan cannot remain silent about these developments and “the world must hear our clear stance on several critical issues”, Safadi said while addressing an emergency session of the Lower House.

 

Referring to the efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah, he said that there is no justification for this war.

 

It is a war crime under international and the humanitarian laws and the Geneva Conventions, including their Additional Protocols. It is a collective punishment strongly rejected by international law and by Jordan, he said.

 

“Palestinian displacement is a red line for Jordan,” he said, stressing that Jordan will use all available capabilities to confront any attempts at displacement.

 

Such actions are not only a violation of international law, but also of the 1977 Geneva Convention, which considers the forcible transfer of citizens to be a war crime, he said, adding “Gaza is an occupied territory under international law.

 

He also stressed that this war is causing nothing but destruction and catastrophe. There is no justification for the loss of thousands of Palestinian lives, as the number of casualties and civilian victims has already surpassed that of the 50-day war in Gaza in 2014, he said.

 

He recalled His Majesty King Abdullah’s address to the United Nations, in which the King stressed that ignoring the Palestinian cause and attempting to sideline it will lead to an explosion that everyone has worked to prevent.

 

Safadi said that if the Palestinian cause is not resolved on terms that uphold the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, violence and conflict will continue to escalate.

 

Peace, security and stability in the region can only be achieved through the recognition of the full rights of the Palestinian people, he stressed.

 

International law should be applied consistently, without selective criteria based on nationality, identity or religion, he added.

These developments are important to note, since, as opposed to Iran and Hezbollah, Egypt and Jordan have not made official threats of war till now. The question is, are these threats just more empty gestures to placate their Muslim populations?

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Egypt’s Refugee Policies

Both Egypt and Jordan have welcoming refugee policies, and they were also the first to accept Palestinians, since 1967.

Thus their argument is against evacuating the land and displacing its owners, because history has shown that this Israeli tactic was the prelude to the Nakba.

Rather than condemning the countless heinous war crimes of Israel, the Western media is currently focused on shaming Egypt and Jordan for not accepting the displaced refugees. This is an effort to make the public believe that, by imprisoning Palestinians within the Gaza strip, Muslims lack solidarity with each other.

These baseless claims overlook many simple facts, such as the fact that Egypt has a village of Palestinians who fled, since the Nakba; and Jordan is home to over two million registered Palestinian refugees.

Furthermore, Egypt has a population of over 110 million people, with more than 300,000 registered refugees. However, its migrant population is also estimated to be nine million.  Earlier this year, as of August, 2023, the war in Sudan had driven approximately 280,000 refugees into Egypt.

Egypt has relatively lenient restrictions on migrant movement, education, and investments. Egyptians are also known for their hospitality towards migrants, n general, though intolerance can also be seen in a minority of cases. Syrians currently have privately owned businesses and entire districts that are dominated by Syrians, such as Rehab and Sixth of October city.

Muslim and Arab Solidarity

Thanks to the Muslim and Arab solidarity, Palestinians did not become the new American Indians. Muslims and Arabs are not as passive as they are portrayed to be, and they’re calling on their leaders for action. Their demands however—and this is the important bit—, do not mirror those of the West, such as the displacement of Palestinian refugees and the like.

Muslims and Arabs are demanding:

• The end of normalization with Israel;
• The passage of humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing; and most importantly
• Military intervention against the occupiers.

Egypt, for example, has been in tension since the Arab Spring. But despite the criticisms against submissive foreign policies and the devastating economic situation, the vast majority of Egyptians support Al-Sisi’s position on this matter, despite their contrasting political views.

One of Al-Sisi’s most fierce critics, Mohammed Ali Nasser, has held pro-Muslim Brotherhood views since the tragic events in 2013. However, in October, 2023, Nasser announced that this was the first time he had ever declared his support for Al-Sisi—against the new Nakba.

Following Israel’s inhuman hospital bombardment on October 17, 2023, several Egyptian parliament officials publicly called upon Al-Sisi for intervention in Gaza. They also demanded the annulment of the Camp David Accords, citing the famous words of the former Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser:

“That which is taken by force cannot be reclaimed except by force.”

By: Ms. Verses

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