Pentagon threatens to cut aid if Egypt refuses to take in Gazans, as Arab states race to find alternative to Trump plan

The Trump administration is upping the pressure on Cairo to accept the U.S. president’s plan to resettle large parts of the population of Gaza on Egyptian territory.

On Thursday, the Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Pentagon had reached out to warn Egyptian officials that part of the over $1.4 billion in annual military aid might be cut if Cairo won’t accept President Donald Trump’s plan.

Citing Egyptian sources based in Washington, the report added that it could initially restrict military equipment and spare parts needed for the routine maintenance of the Egyptian army.

The news outlet also cited sources who said Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had encountered “shocking” views among the Trump administration regarding the dispute with Ethiopia over its construction of a dam near the sources of the Nile River. It is possible the Trump administration could use this as an additional means to pressure Egypt.

Trump began speaking about his idea of moving Gazan civilians to Egypt and Jordan some three weeks ago, before revealing his plan that the U.S. would take over the Gaza Strip and reconstruct it.

Despite his insistence that the two countries would come around to the idea that caused outrage across the Arab world, both have continued to oppose it. While Jordan offered to take in 2,000 Gazan children, Egypt has, so far, only declared it would soon present an alternative plan.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was reportedly miffed that Trump referred to him as “the general” in recent comments, postponed a visit to the White House planned for this month.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed now reported that the postponement was intended to allow el-Sisi time to only meet Trump once he had secured an alternative that had received “full Arab support.”

The outlet further said that during his U.S. visit, Abdelatty clarified that Trump’s plan was completely unacceptable among his country’s military, from the top brass down to junior officers, and would cause “a major crisis that could threaten Egypt's stability.”

The Arab countries, led by Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, continued this week to scramble to come up with a unified, alternative plan for Gaza’s future.

According to Reuters, an Egyptian proposal would see a national Palestinian committee govern Gaza without Hamas, while international parties took part in reconstruction without displacing the population abroad.

The proposal will be discussed by representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Palestinians before it is presented at an Arab summit planned for Feb. 27, the report added.

The public face of this diplomatic campaign will be Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), a Jordanian official said. “We are telling the Americans we have a plan that works. Our meeting with MBS is going to be critical. He is taking the lead.”

U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio is slated to travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the coming days. We’re going to give them time,“ Rubio said about the Arab states' efforts to come up with a plan.

“Hopefully they’re going to have a really good plan to present the president,” Rubio told the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show on Thursday. “Right now, the only plan – they don’t like it – but the only plan is the Trump plan. So if they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it.”

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority (PA) presented its own plan to the UN Security Council.

The proposal envisions three phases: First, the restoration of basic needs over a period of six months; then a gradual recovery of up to three years, and finally, full reconstruction over at least 10 years.

The PA estimated that a budget of some $3.5 billion would be needed and called for significant funding from the international community to implement the plan.

Speaking with Israel Hayom, UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the PA, “which has not yet condemned the October massacre, does not have the moral standing and executive capacity to take part in these issues.”

“It would be better if they focused on stopping the culture of incitement and on a real fight against the terror that has raised its head in Judea and Samaria,” he added.