NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 12 – The Egyptian Ambassador to Kenya has shed light on why the Middle Eastern state is reluctant to fully open its borders to all the refugees from the besieged Gaza Strip as Israeli forces intensify its military offensive against the Hamas militant group.
In an exclusive interview with Capital FM News, the Egyptian envoy to Kenya Wael Nasr Eldin Attiya singled out national security concerns as one of the main reasons President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s government is taking extra precautions.
Ambassador Attiya explained that Egypt currently hosts close to 9 million refugees who have fled conflict in several countries including Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan noting that the Middle Eastern state is not in a good position to accommodate more than two million people from Gaza.
“There were calls in recent weeks since the eruption of the hostilities, that Palestinians in Gaza should move to Egypt. Yes, we are host to about 9 million guests from different countries. We have 5 million from Sudan, at least 1 million from Yemen, about half a million at least from Syria and others from Libya,” he said, adding that Egypt is also struggling to maintain its own stability as a result of conflicts in the bordering states.
The remarks come even as injured Palestinian victims and hundreds of foreigners began crossing from Gaza into Egypt on November 1.
The attack left more than 1400 dead on the Israel side prompting an Israel response that has led to over 12,000 Palestinian casualties and displacement of over a million residents as a result of constant bombardment of the enclave by Israeli military. The figures always differ based on numbers from Israel and Hamas.
National security
The Ambassador added that as much as Egypt wants to help its neighbors some of whom have intermarried with the Egyptians, El-Sisi’s government does not want to risk its national security and sovereignty.
The Egyptian Ambassador to Kenya further explained that it would be difficult to distinguish innocent civilians seeking refuge from the Hamas group whom, he argues could use the opportunity to flee to Egypt and risk the country’s national security.
“There have been calls that Egypt take in the Palestinians in Gaza until Israel finishes its operations in the strip and gets rid of Hamas. How do we know that the ones that we’re getting in Egypt are not Hamas people? Who would be able to tell who is who at this point?” he posed.
Ambassador Attiya added that Egypt does not want to be “dragged” into larger-scale hostilities by providing a safe haven for Hamas.
He noted that Hamas could then potentially launch attacks against Israel from Egyptian soil which could risk relations with Israel and put them at risk of Israel response.
“What if those people (Hamas) started to use their existence in Egypt to launch attacks against Israel from within Egyptian borders at that point you know, Israel would say that it has the right to defend itself. We don’t want to be dragged into a vicious cycle of violence,” he added.
He added that Egypt cannot tell for sure if the Palestinians would be allowed back to Gaza at the end of the military offensive against Hamas.
Ambassador Attiya recalled a similar case in 1948 which he saw Palestinians forced out of historical Palestine with the promise of returning to their homeland after a few weeks but that never happened.
“At least 70 percent of Palestinians thought at the time that they would be leaving for a few weeks and then they will return again which never came to pass. So, if they leave Gaza now, what makes them certain that they will be able to return to it? That will be another exodus for them.”
He pointed out that the Gaza Strip has seven crossings to the outside world six of which are with Israel with only one with Egypt-the Rafa crossing.
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, Israel closed all six crossings which has cut off the much-needed supplies including food, fuel, and medicine to Gaza.
War has impacted Egypt economy
The Ambassador also weighed in on the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine on its economy.
He added that Egypt gets at least 12 percent of its GDP from tourism adding that the conflict in the region has dealt a huge blow to the sector.
“There are many warnings for tourists in a number of countries of not going to the Middle East and North Africa and that is of course affecting Egypt, especially coming at a time between October and March which is usually the main season of tourism in Egypt,” he said.
Before the eruption of the hostilities in Gaza, Ambassador Attiya said that Egypt managed to get 12 million tourists in the first nine months of the year.
He added that the Middle Eastern state was expecting at least 15 million tourists visiting Egypt by the end of the year.
“Now with the situation at our eastern border, we are not so sure how many tourists we will be able to receive,” he said.
He added that Egypt also receives half a million tourists from Israel every year adding that the situation in Gaza would significantly impact the numbers.
To address the situation, Ambassador Attiya appealed to the international community to do more to pressure Israel and Palestine to return to the negotiating table in a bid to find a permanent solution to the decades of violence that has characterized the relations between the two states.
He noted that the deteriorating situation in Gaza calls for an immediate intervention by the international community which, he says “are not doing enough” to address the conflict.
He made reference to several unsuccessful attempts to pass a cease-fire resolution at the United Nations Security Council in New York.
“There was a resolution recently adopted by the General Assembly voted with a majority of 120 countries, including Kenya, that voted for a ceasefire, but we haven’t seen any movement in that direction. In fact, after the adoption of this resolution by the General Assembly, Israel started its ground incursions on Gaza the same day. We think that it’s not enough,” he said.
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