It was a diplomacy-heavy night on the airwaves, with the nation’s talking heads laser-focused on Egypt’s rejection of new remarks of displacing Gazans.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday warning of the “catastrophic consequences” of Israeli officials’ remarks about displacing Palestinians. The statement described the comments as a “blatant and flagrant violation of international law” and stressed that such actions “undermine the negotiations regarding the ceasefire agreement … and provokes the return of hostilities and pose risks to the entire region.” Egypt also reiterated its “complete rejection of any proposal or concept aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause through uprooting or displacing the Palestinian people.”

Egypt is ramping up diplomatic efforts to prevent Palestinian displacement: “Egypt will never accept the displacement of Palestinians from their land,” Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said during his meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa on Thursday. Meanwhile, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi held a phone call with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday to discuss Egypt’s efforts to secure a ceasefire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The two sides also “confirmed the need for the international community to join forces to ensure that the Palestinians remain in their land … and affirmed the necessity of expediting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to restore normal life in it.”

“Every moment, we wake up to new statements that cause panic, leaving us unsure which one to respond to. The goal of this chaos is to make us all anxious while, at the same time, reinforcing the idea of displacement and shifting the minimum expectations — from discussing the establishment borders for a Palestinian state to making forced displacement seem like an option,” Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi said (watch, runtime: 10:43). She warned, however, against dismissing these threats completely, “On the contrary, we must take all these proposals — whether absurd or not — seriously, confront them, and present alternatives,” she said.

She compared this situation to a business negotiation tactic used by US President Donald Trump — starting with extreme demands to push the other side into concessions. El Hadidi argued that despite the provocative statements, little has materialized on the ground.

“We are advocates of peace, but if war is imposed on us, we are ready for it,” El Hadidi stated (watch, runtime: 1:51), adding that the current period marks the highest level of Arab coordination on the Palestinian issue, particularly among Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. “There is widespread Arab, international, and even American rejection of Trump’s reckless idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza and seizing it,” she noted (watch, runtime: 2:13), highlighting that US policy has retreated under these pressures.

Abdelatty to touch down in DC? Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is heading to Washington shortly, El Hadidi said (watch, runtime: 1:28), adding that he could possibly be setting the stage for a visit from El Sisi.

And rejection of the Israeli suggestion to establish a Palestinian state on Saudi land. “Saudi sovereignty is a red line,” the statement said. This came following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling an interviewer ”unless you want the Palestinian state to be in Saudi Arabia, they have a lot of territory.”’

AND- Egypt is set to host an emergency Arab summit on 27 February, with leaders from across the region expected to attend. The summit, called by El Sisi, will focus on reaffirming Arab support for Palestine, Ala Masouleety’s Ahmed Moussa said (watch, runtime: 4:57). The event is expected to bring together the leaders from Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Tunisia, and Sudan, among others.

ALSO- TMG’s proposal to rebuild Gaza: Talaat Moustafa Group CEO Hisham Talaat Moustafa proposed a USD 27 bn plan to rebuild Gaza rather than displacing its residents. The proposal includes 200k housing units covering 20 mn sqm at a USD 20 bn price tag. The project could be executed in six phases over three years by 40 to 50 construction companies. Additionally, the plan includes infrastructure development and the establishment of healthcare, education, sports, commercial, and recreational services with a USD 7 bn investment (watch, runtime: 1:08:39).

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