Report: Egypt’s president snubs Trump ahead of planned meeting

El-Sisi reportedly suspends planned meeting with Trump as Cairo threatens to nix peace treaty with Israel if US cuts aid over Egypt’s refusal to take in Gazans.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News Staff

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is reportedly refusing to meet with President Donald Trump, over Trump’s plan to relocate the Gaza Strip’s entire population to third-party countries, including Egypt.

On Tuesday, Al Araby al-Jadeen cited multiple diplomatic sources claiming that el-Sisi has suspended plans to meet with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, amid the continuing disagreement between the two leaders over Trump’s Gaza plan, which was first unveiled last week.

Two Egyptian security officials told Reuters Wednesday that el-Sisi will not visit the White House if the mass relocation of Gazans is on the agenda.

In addition, Al Araby al-Jadeen reported that Egypt is threatening to end the decades-old peace treaty with Israel if the Trump administration terminates American aid to Egypt over Cairo’s opposition to the Gaza resettlement plan.

On February 1, Trump spoke with el-Sisi by phone, the White House said, making no mention of the U.S. president’s Gaza plan, though a readout of the call said they discussed the Gaza Strip.

This past Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog revealed that Trump is slated to meet with a number of senior Arab leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and el-Sisi.

All three have publicly rejected Trump’s plan to resettle Gaza’s population in third-party countries.

On Monday, Trump said he may halt American aid to Cairo and Amman if Egypt and Jordan refuse to take in Gaza refugees.

The U.S. gives Egypt an estimated $2.1 billion annually, and $1.4 billion to Jordan.

In response, diplomatic sources told Al Araby al-Jadeen, Egypt is mulling terminating the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, signed after Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to hand over the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

“Egypt has decided to take precautions against any potential halt of U.S. aid and has prepared emergency plans to deal with U.S. pressure regarding the displacement issue,” sources cited by Tuesday’s report claimed.