Trump and El-Sisi were expected to sit down at the White House on Tuesday after speaking to each other on the phone on Feb. 1.
But according to multiple reports, the meeting may not happen because of Egyptian opposition to Trump’s plan, with Trump repeating that a Palestinian relocation could be permanent because the population of 2 million people would not likely want to return.
Trump did not respond to a shouted question from the Washington Examiner about the meeting after an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Friday.
The White House did not immediately reply to a separate inquiry about the meeting, nor did representatives from the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Trump did tell the Washington Examiner he would adopt a “very hard stance” against Hamas after threatening to upend the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and the terrorist organization earlier this week.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that if Hamas did not release the remaining 76 hostages they took during their Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by noon on Saturday “all hell is going to break loose.”
But on Friday, again from behind the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, Trump told the Washington Examiner he would withhold judgment about Saturday after Hamas advised Israel it would release the previously agreed upon hostages, despite announcing last weekend that it would not because of concerns regarding Israel preventing humanitarian aid into Gaza and northern Gaza residents from going home.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen at 12 o’clock,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “If it was up to me, I’d take a very hard stance. I can’t tell you what Israel is going to do.”
Trump also delegated responsibility to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but underscored how Hamas had “totally changed” its position related to the hostages since his threat.
Earlier this week, Trump welcomed King Abdullah II bin al Hussein of Jordan to the White House.
During his own Oval Office meeting, Abdullah told reporters on Tuesday that he was similarly reserving judgment with respect to Trump’s Gaza idea until after Egypt had presented its counterproposal. El-Sisi has scheduled an emergency summit for Arab leaders on Gaza for later this month.
Abdullah did announce that Jordan would accept 2,000 sick Palestinian children for treatment as he tries to discourage Trump from canceling U.S. foreign aid to the kingdom. Under President Joe Biden, the State Department signed a new deal in 2022 to provide Jordan $1.45 billion per year through 2029.
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But in a statement written in Arabic, Abdullah later wrote that he “reaffirmed Jordan’s firm stance against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank” and for a two-state solution to Trump.
“This is the unified Arab position,” he added. “Everyone’s priority should be the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its people and addressing the difficult humanitarian situation in the Strip.”
