In an editorial for the Jerusalem Post, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, outlines his vision for how Egypt could play a significant role in President Trump’s proposal to safely relocate Gazans and establish a lasting peace in the region.
He states that the Gaza Strip is home to 2.2 million people, confined within a 360 sq.km. area that is overcrowded and lacks sufficient employment opportunities, industries, or a port. In comparison, Sinai, which borders Gaza, spans 60,000 sq.km. — almost 170 times larger than Gaza — and is home to only 600,000 people. This makes Gaza’s population density 600 times greater than that of Sinai.
Lieberman highlights that Gaza and Sinai share many ethnic and cultural similarities. The people of both regions speak the same language, practice the same religion, and many even have familial ties. This is especially evident in Rafah, a city that straddles the border, dividing families between Gaza and Sinai.
He adds that Sinai, unfortunately, is largely used by smugglers for drug and weapons trafficking, as well as human trafficking. Despite its vast potential for agriculture and solar energy, the area remains underdeveloped. The El-Arish port, for example, is largely unused and lacks the capacity for substantial trade. Lieberman suggests that transforming El-Arish into Gaza’s main port would be a tremendous benefit to both Egypt and Gaza’s populations.
Lieberman believes Sinai offers a practical solution to the Palestinian situation without requiring mass migration across vast distances. Under Trump’s plan, he proposes that one million Gazans relocate to Sinai, where they could find employment and opportunities for economic prosperity.
He insists that the key to making this solution work is ensuring freedom of movement. “Claims that voluntary emigration of people from Gaza is in any way objectionable – morally or politically – are disingenuous and hypocritical, given the open arms with which refugees have been accepted internationally from other combat arenas, such as Syria or Ukraine.”
Lieberman stresses that Egypt simply needs to open the Rafah border crossing and stop preventing Gazans from leaving. Once this happens, he believes the majority of Gaza’s population—possibly as many as 80%—will choose to leave voluntarily.
In recent years, he points out, Egypt has become increasingly reliant on the support of the US and Israel. Without the substantial financial and security aid from America, it’s unclear whether Egypt’s current government would be able to maintain power or stability.
Lieberman recalls that when ISIS began operating in Sinai years ago, it was Israel—through its air force and special forces—that helped Egypt eliminate the threat. Today, as Egypt faces criticism from Congress over human rights violations and the possibility of aid cuts, it continues to turn to Israel for assistance.
He argues that the relationship between Egypt, Israel, and the US cannot continue to be one-sided. If the Gaza problem is ever to be resolved, Egypt must be encouraged to take on its role. However, Lieberman expresses doubt as to whether Egypt genuinely seeks a solution or simply wants to maintain the status quo. He suggests that Egypt may want to preserve the conflict in Gaza to keep Israel distracted.
Lieberman further claims that Egypt profits from its position as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, as well as from smuggling goods between Sinai and Gaza and from the goods that pass “officially” through the Rafah crossing.
In practice, Lieberman asserts, Egypt is fully aligned with Hamas. He notes that all of Egypt’s positions in mediation efforts are coordinated with the group. Moreover, Egypt’s military presence in Sinai far exceeds the limits set by the Camp David Accords’ security annex. While some of this buildup has been with Israel’s consent, other times Egypt has unilaterally exceeded the agreed-upon terms.
Lieberman states that while Israel is preoccupied with Hamas, Egypt has been rapidly expanding its military forces, buying large quantities of new weapons. Notably, in all of Egypt’s war exercises, Israel is consistently the target, rather than other regional powers like Libya or Saudi Arabia.
He suggests that the entire framework of US-Egypt and Israel-Egypt relations needs to be reassessed. Unfortunately, Lieberman believes that Israel’s political and security establishment is stuck in outdated thinking, unwilling to explore new ideas or to demand more from Egypt.
Lieberman argues that the responsibility for Gaza should fall to Egypt, as it did before 1967, under the mandate of the Arab League, which consists of 22 countries that could support the initiative financially, militarily, and logistically. Egypt would be tasked with supplying electricity, water, fuel, and commercial goods to the remaining one million Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Lieberman, Trump’s plan for relocating Palestinians represents the first real opportunity to address Gaza’s problems and move toward a lasting peace. The initiative, he believes, could significantly reduce terrorism while fostering economic growth, employment, and prosperity in the region.
He concludes that both the US and Israel must make a concerted effort to convince Egypt to take an active role in realizing Trump’s vision and confidently reject arguments against the plan. He suggests that these arguments are merely a reflection of conventional, unimaginative thinking.
{Matzav.com}