A joint seminar between the Council and the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies and Thought

On February 26, 2025, in cooperation between the Council and the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies, a panel discussion was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Giza, under the theme “Gaza and the Future of Peace and Stability in the Middle East”, during which the following topics were addressed

– International experiences in conflict resolution and reconstruction (African experiences – European experiences – Middle East experiences).

– Displacement projects and the Palestinian cause, where the topic of displacement as a way to liquidate the issue was discussed, the project of displacing Gazans as a basis for a second Nakba from the Palestinian perspective, the Jordanian vision of the dangers of the displacement project, a legal approach to Israel’s violations related to displacement and ethnic cleansing and ways to confront them, and an Egyptian approach to managing the next day in the Gaza Strip.

– The US position on the Gaza war and its regional implications, including the biases of the US media in covering the Gaza war, the US policy towards Arab peace in Trump’s second term, and the implications of the Gaza proposal for peace and stability in the Middle East.

– The repercussions of displacement and resettlement projects on regional security, including the impact of demographic change on the Middle East crises and political demography in the region, and the impact of the issue of displacement and resettlement on Gulf security.

In particular, the following was emphasized:

1- That the region is at an acute juncture that threatens its security and stability, in light of US President Donald Trump’s proposals to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, Jordan and other countries, which would amount to a new occupation and a blatant violation of international norms and conventions that refute forced displacement as a crime of “ethnic cleansing.”

2- The Arab response, especially from Egypt and Jordan, was decisive in its public and explicit rejection of forced displacement efforts. As a result, an Egyptian plan was announced that would undertake the reconstruction of Gaza with the presence of the residents of the Gaza Strip without the need to displace them, including Cairo’s approach to managing the next day in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Jordanian vision of the repercussions of the displacement project.

3- There are differences between regional and international experiences, including in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, in which cities were rebuilt after bloody wars. And that they took place with the presence of the population in the affected areas. It was also pointed out that the United States of America was involved in the reconstruction efforts of the affected cities, and its development and human rights organizations supported the return of displaced persons to their areas and provided them with the means of life.

– The conference warned of the repercussions of the absolute US support for the far-right Israeli government, and the implications of this on the security and stability of the region, as well as the region’s entry into a vicious cycle of demographic changes, whether societal, sectarian or regional. It would also fuel geopolitical expansionism by countries such as Iran and Turkey.

5- The US proposals would lead to a new Palestinian Nakba, through the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and Israeli expansionist plans, which are fueled by the US proposals, will surface to become a large Israeli state and not a small one, as the roots of these proposals go back to the period of Trump’s first term through the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the latter’s sovereignty over the Golan, the Abrahamic agreements, and currently the Israeli expansion in southern Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

6- It was emphasized that the US proposals will not work, and their risks will be catastrophic for the security of all countries in the region, and consequently US interests, in addition to violating the principles of international law, international humanitarian law and the United Nations Charter, in addition to the regional and international rejection of American and Israeli displacement efforts, as the Palestinian people have the right to decide their fate and enjoy an independent sovereign state, in light of their commitment to their land and their cause.

– The conference concluded that Gaza can be rebuilt with its population present, that there are no legal or moral justifications for adopting a contrary view, and that the international community must assume its responsibilities to continue the ceasefire agreement, end the war, and establish an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967.