Egypt firmly rejects Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid’s proposal for it to administer Gaza for 15 years, reaffirming its support for Palestinian sovereignty.
Egypt has confirmed its rejection of any proposals regarding its administration of the Gaza Strip, after Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid suggested that Cairo assume responsibility for the enclave for 15 years as part of a post-war plan.
The official Egyptian news agency reported on Wednesday, quoting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tamim Khalaf, that Egypt rejects such ideas, “in response to media inquiries about circulating proposals regarding governance… the latest of which is the proposal for Egypt to administer the Gaza Strip for a period of time.”
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The spokesperson emphasized that,
“any proposals that circumvent the constants of the Egyptian and Arab position, and the sound foundations for addressing the core of the conflict, which relate to Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, are rejected and unacceptable, as they represent half-solutions that contribute to the recurrence of conflict cycles rather than resolving it permanently.”
He stressed “the organic link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as Palestinian territories representing the region of the independent Palestinian state, which must be subject to full Palestinian sovereignty and administration.”
Lapid’s Proposal
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid had proposed that Egypt administer the Gaza Strip for 15 years in exchange for the cancellation of its external debt.
Lapid announced his proposal on Tuesday in a speech at the “Defense of Democracies” foundation in Washington, followed by a post on X.
He wrote in his post: “I recently presented in Washington a plan for the day after the war in Gaza, and at the core of the plan: Egypt assumes responsibility for Gaza for 15 years, while the international community cancels its external debt of $155 billion.”
He added that during the 15 years, “Gaza will be rebuilt, and conditions for self-rule will be prepared. Egypt will be the central player and will oversee the reconstruction, which will further boost its economy.”
Lapid argued that this solution “has a historical precedent: Egypt controlled Gaza in the past, with the support of the Arab League, understanding that this was a temporary situation… and this is what should happen again today.”
The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas had previously announced its rejection of disarming Palestinian resistance factions or removing them from the Gaza Strip, stressing that any arrangements for the future of the enclave would be based on Palestinian national consensus without external interference.
(AJA, Anadolu, PC)
