Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo would reject any proposal that would yield “anything undesired by the Palestinians.”
Commenting on the unannounced so-called “deal of the century” US Middle East peace plan, he said: “Egypt will not accept anything that the Palestinians do not want.”
Speaking after breaking the Ramadan fast at a hotel in Cairo, he also appeared to dismiss suggestions that Egypt might make concessions as part of the US plan.
The blueprint, still in draft form jettisons the two-state solution to ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, according to Palestinian and Arab sources.
It envisages an expansion of Gaza into parts of northern Sinai, under Egyptian control, Palestinian officials have told Reuters.
“You are asking what’s the story and what does Sisi have in mind, and will he give up anything to anyone,” Sisi said, referring to reports that Egypt could be required to allow areas in Sinai adjacent to the Gaza border to be part of the deal.
“Can you imagine that I would give something up. ... But, why?”
The Palestinian leadership has boycotted the US diplomatic peace efforts.
The Palestinian Authority has said it will not attend a US-sponsored investment conference in late June in Bahrain where the economic component is expected to be unveiled.
US officials have been vague about the timing for releasing proposals for resolving the thorny political issues at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But experts are skeptical of the Trump administration’s chances for success.
With Israel heading for new elections in September after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government, uncertainty is expected to further delay the plan’s rollout.
