Events of the past two months have highlighted an important truth: Although Arab leaders have publicly condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza, they have no interest in allowing Palestinian refugees into their own countries.
Their unwillingness to offer refuge to their Palestinian brethren stands in stark contrast to actions taken by their European counterparts following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ultimately, more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees fled the bloodshed and were welcomed with open arms by citizens in Poland, Hungary, and other Central European and Eastern European nations.
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As President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken try to dictate the rules of Israel’s war against Hamas, no one is advocating the most obvious solution of all. Why not allow Gazans to flee their war-torn territory to neighboring Arab nations, at least for the duration of the war?
As it turns out, no Arab nations will have them — not even on a temporary basis.
At an October news conference in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi told reporters, "What is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refuge and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.
"Egypt rejects any attempt to resolve the Palestinian issue by military means or through the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land, which would come at the expense of the countries of the region," he said.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly went even further. He declared, “We are ready to........