The United Arab Emirates has joined Israel in slamming the possibility of Gazans being displaced from the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty said on Saturday that "describing the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary is ‘nonsense,’” Arab News reported. This comes in reaction to Israel’s calls on residents of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of a planned offensive. Egypt is concerned that Gazans will be pushed south. Cairo is concerned about messaging that has become more widespread on social media in suggesting Egypt should take in Gaza refugees.
Arab News noted “Israel earlier called on Gaza City residents to leave for the south, as its forces advance deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area. The Israeli army told Gaza City residents to flee to a ‘humanitarian zone’ in the south on Saturday ahead of a planned offensive to capture the territory’s largest urban center.”
The UAE has grown more vocal in opposing several Israeli policies. It has also condemned any attempts at annexation as a red line.
The UAE and Bahrain became Abraham Accords partners in 2020. Abu Dhabi appears to be messaging that annexation could harm ties and the Accords. Egypt also wants support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia against any attempts to push Gazans into Egypt.
AlAin media in the UAE reported on September 6 that “the UAE supports Egypt’s efforts and condemns Netanyahu’s statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians. The UAE affirmed its full support for Egypt, appreciating its ongoing efforts to support the Palestinian people, confront attempts to displace them, and seek an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of civilians.”
The IDF appears to want Gazans to move from Gaza City to Mawasi in southern Gaza. Meanwhile, the IDF has increased attacks on high-rise buildings in Gaza. This comes amid threats from Israel to turn Gaza City into Rafah or Beit Hanoun, essentially meaning the city will be destroyed and flattened in the upcoming offensive.
AlAin noted that “The UAE condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, considering them a dangerous extension of the occupation’s policies. The UAE reiterated its condemnation of all displacement attempts targeting the Palestinian people.”
Cairo vs. Jerusalem
Cairo is increasingly angry with Jerusalem. Egypt has slammed statements in Israel “as part of his ongoing attempts to prolong the escalation in the region and perpetuate instability, in order to avoid facing the consequences of Israeli violations in Gaza, both domestically and internationally.”
Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also said it condemns and rejects any displacement of Palestinians. “Egypt affirmed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and amount to ethnic cleansing crimes. It called on the international community to activate accountability mechanisms for these declared crimes, which are gradually becoming a tool for political propaganda in Israel due to the absence of international justice,” AlAin noted.
The report added that Abdelatty, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, joined the head of UNRWA to condemn Israel. Egypt says that any talk of “voluntary” displacement of Gazans is unacceptable.
War of words
The war of words is part of Egypt and the UAE’s messaging to the region and the world that the crisis in Gaza is growing and that they are not pleased.
With the UN General Assembly coming up this month, both countries will likely seek to pressure Israel, as well as attempt to work with their friends in Washington to see if the Gaza City offensive can be prevented.
Egypt has made it clear it does not want to have Gazans crossing into its territory in large numbers. Cairo likely believes this will destabilize Sinai – and could also lead to protests in Egypt.
Egypt’s government does not want to be seen as enabling Israel’s war in Gaza. It has also dealt with extremism in Sinai for decades and likely does not want Hamas active in Sinai. If large numbers of Gazans crossed into Sinai, it is likely that extremist groups would exploit this to try to open a new front against Israel.
Egypt’s government will mobilize support in the Gulf and elsewhere to try to prevent any kind of chaos from taking place at the border with Gaza or having the war spill over. The Egyptian government has always sought to contain the conflicts in Gaza.
After the Arab Spring, the Sinai Peninsula became a hub of smuggling for weapons, and this led to unrest and a large rebellion.
The battles in Sinai between Egypt’s security forces and extremists helped fuel a decision by the army and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to push the Muslim Brotherhood out of power in 2012. The Brotherhood had won elections in 2012 after the fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime.
A year of rule by Mohammed Morsi, the Brotherhood candidate who won Egyptian elections, led to his overthrow and the installation of the current government in Egypt. As such, the Sisi government knows the perils of having problems in Sinai.