Cairo has long rejected any attempt to expel Palestinians from their land, describing such plans as a non-negotiable “red line”.
The foreign ministry warned that Egypt would not be party to “any form of injustice” against the Palestinian people.
In exclusive comments to the Middle East News Agency (MENA) on Saturday experts and analysts stressed that Egypt remains unwavering in its position regarding the Palestinian cause.
They affirmed that Cairo will not deviate from its steadfast support for the Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state and noted that Egypt is alert to Israeli plots—a point underscored by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during his Moulid El-Nabi speech on Thursday.
Air Vice Marshal Hesham Halaby, a strategic analyst, said Egypt’s position on Palestine had been consistent since 1948: supporting Palestinians’ right to remain on their land and establish an independent state. He said Israel’s displacement schemes were “not new” and had been repeatedly pushed back by Egypt, the Arab and Islamic world, the United Nations (UN), and “most Western countries that call for justice and peace.”
Halaby added that Cairo’s stance rested on three principles: humanitarian and historical responsibility, the legal prohibition of forced displacement, and the recognition that separating Palestinians from their land would “end the cause itself, which is exactly what Israel seeks”.
Egypt, he added, continues to exert pressure for a ceasefire and prisoner exchanges in coordination with Qatar and the United States.
Halaby concluded by emphasizing the alignment between the official and popular positions in Egypt, both of which place the Palestinian cause at the top of national priorities, as an existential—not merely regional—issue.
Brigadier General Khaled Okasha, an expert on strategic and regional security, said Netanyahu’s remarks amounted to an admission that Israel controlled the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and intended to use it for “ethnic cleansing”.
He said Benjamin Netanyahu had revealed three fundamental truths: his declared intent of ethnic cleansing, his total disregard for international law and agreements, and his direct responsibility for obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries.
“It is delusional to think that Egypt would allow Rafah to be used as a tool to liquidate the Palestinian cause, for which it has sacrificed dearly. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was the first Arab leader to expose the real objective of Israel’s war on Gaza from the very beginning,” Okasha stated.
He stressed that Israel’s ongoing violations of international humanitarian law and its openly committed war crimes, left unpunished, threaten international peace and security and undermine global confidence in justice.
He noted that any scheme aimed at displacing Gaza’s native population or liquidating the Palestinian cause is a red line for the Egyptian state, both officially and popularly.
Dr Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor, said the foreign ministry’s statement denouncing Netanyahu was “clear, revealing and politically significant”.
Fahmy said Cairo was responding to Netanyahu’s contradictory positions, noting that his revived idea of a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah was effectively a plan to empty the land of its people under a false humanitarian cover.
He added that, as a peace treaty partner, Egypt had tools to deter Israeli misconduct, while Washington bore responsibility to restrain Israel and preserve stability.
Dr Ayman Salama, professor of international law, said the proposals violated international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions prohibiting forced displacement of civilians, and could amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Salama said Egypt’s rejection of Netanyahu’s remarks was consistent with international principles guaranteeing Palestinians the right of return and self-determination.
He added that the comments underscored Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian relief in defiance of International Court of Justice rulings, and warned that they amounted to demographic engineering in Gaza, undermining the two-state solution and violating international law.
Ambassador Yasser Othman, former Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt and former Ambassador to Palestine, said Netanyahu’s remarks on displacement revealed the “real aim behind Israel’s war on Gaza: to push residents into Egypt and empty the land in preparation for seizure, as part of a broader effort to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
Othman emphasized that Egypt has “spared no effort” in supporting Gaza’s population and alleviating their suffering, while “working tirelessly” to stop the Israeli assault.
He underlined that any attempt to cast doubt on Egypt’s stance or export the crisis to Cairo is “doomed to fail”.
He warned that Netanyahu's comments pose a direct threat to regional security and require urgent international action.
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