On Saturday 27 September, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Jerusalem told The New York Times that US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, may soon travel to Cairo for a rare visit to hold discussions with senior Egyptian officials, in light of growing tensions between Egypt and Israel.
According to three anonymous sources from America and the Middle East cited by the NYT, the visit is expected to include a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, with discussions anticipated to focus on the war in Gaza. If confirmed, this would mark the first official visit to Egypt in decades by a US ambassador to Israel.
It is not yet clear what role the current US ambassador to Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg, appointed under President Joe Biden’s administration, will play in the talks.
Earlier this month, Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested President Trump’s administration to pressure Egypt to scale back the recent military deployment in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt’s State Information Service responded in a statement that forces deployed in Sinai are intended to protect Egypt’s borders against threats such as terrorism and smuggling, and that troops were deployed “within the framework of guidelines set out in prior coordination between the parties”.
The State Information Service added that Egypt “remains fully committed” to upholding the peace treaty, stressing that the country has “never violated a treaty or agreement in its history.”
Netanyahu’s policies towards Gaza, particularly proposals linked to pushing Palestinians into Sinai, is perceived by Cairo as a direct threat to its national security. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has warned Israel against any actions that could undermine the peace agreement between the two countries.
At the same time, Netenyahu has publicly criticized Egypt for refusing to admit Palestinians fleeing Gaza. He recently accused Egypt of “imprisoning Gaza residents who want to leave the strip.” Cairo condemned this accusation as an attempt to deflect responsibility for Israeli violations in Gaza, whilst reiterating Egypt’s firm stance against the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homeland.
This was not the first time Netanyahu floated the idea of displacing Palestinians. He has previously expressed his support for Trump’s vision of moving large numbers of Palestinians through what Netanyahu labelled as “voluntary migration.”
At the end of January, US President Trump called on Egypt and Jordan to accept refugees from Gaza. The proposal was firmly rejected by Egypt and other Arab states and drew international criticism. Human rights groups denounced this permanent displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip as ethnic cleansing.
In March, Israel’s security cabinet approved a military proposal to create a voluntary crossing organization for Gaza residents “who express interest in leaving for other countries, in compliance with Israeli and international law and Trump’s vision.” At the time, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “We will allow any citizen of Gaza who wishes to move voluntarily to another country to do so.”
Israel has also floated similar resettlement proposals with African countries. In mid-August, the Associated Press reported that Israel was holding talks with South Sudan over the possible relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. South Sudan denied the claims, saying they were baseless and did not reflect its official policies.
