Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Wednesday rejected US President Donald Trump's declared wish to see Palestinians from Gaza move to “safer” locations, including Egypt or Jordan, saying this would amount to “an act of oppression”.
The Egyptian leader, whose country has been a close US ally for nearly 50 years, said Egypt was determined to work with Mr Trump “who wishes to achieve peace based on the two-state solution”.
He added: “We believe that President Trump is capable of achieving this long-awaited goal of realising a just and permanent peace in the Middle East.”
Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, although the Middle Easter neighbours have seen their relations sour since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
On Wednesday, Mr El Sisi repeated his warning that the Gaza war, sparked by a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel, had been an attempt by Israel to make life in the Palestinian enclave impossible as a prelude to evicting its population of 2.3 million.
The majority of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged in Israel's military response to the attack, and most of its population displaced at least once.
The war was paused last week when Hamas and Israel accepted a deal brokered by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US.
“What will I say to Egyptians if I am asked to move Palestinians to Egypt? If I am ever asked to do so, the people of Egypt will take to the streets to say 'no',” Mr El Sisi said. “Displacing or evicting them is an act of oppression that we can never be part of.”
Mr Trump repeated his desire to move Palestinians from Gaza to “safer” locations, including Egypt or Jordan, on Monday, after calling on the two US allies to take people from Gaza to “clean out the whole thing” at the weekend.
Mr El Sisi forged close relations with Mr Trump during his first term as US president from 2016 to 2020. He sent him a warm congratulatory message when he won the US presidential election in November, pointing out the strategic partnership between the two nations.
However, his comments on Wednesday laid bare fundamental differences over an issue that has been at the heart of regional politics for more than 70 years and which has grown over the years to be associated with Arab identity.
Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, fought Israel in four full-fledged wars between 1948 and 1973 and despite the 1979 treaty, Israel remains the number one enemy to most Egyptians.
“It's unimaginable to deviate from or relinquish in any way the foundations of the Egyptian position on the Palestinian question,” Mr El Sisi said in his televised comments. “They are based on creating a Palestinian state and safeguarding the pillars of that state, particularly its people and territory.
“I would like to reassure the Egyptian people that there can never be any leniency toward or tolerance for any breach of Egyptian national security. The solution is the two-state solution. These are historical rights that cannot be ignored.
“A historical oppression has befallen the Palestinians during the past 70 years. The solution is not the eviction of the Palestinians but the two-state solution.”
The comments were his first since Mr Trump floated his suggestion about moving Gazans. Jordan, which also has a peace treaty with Israel, has rejected the idea.
Mr Trump said on Saturday he planned to discuss his Gaza proposals with the Egyptian leader in a telephone call the next day. But there has been no confirmation from Cairo or Washington that it took place.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
Naga
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
More coverage from the Future Forum
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Company%20Profile
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
