Europe moves to boost ties with Egypt amid Israel's war on Gazahttps://en.majalla.com/node/305181/politics/europe-moves-boost-ties-egypt-amid-israels-war-gaza
Europe moves to boost ties with Egypt amid Israel's war on Gaza
The war on Gaza paves the way for a more comprehensive partnership between Egypt and the EU, one that is not confined to the fight against illegal crossings of the Mediterranean
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Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Egypt reflects European fears that the expulsion of 2.3 Palestinians from Gaza would create an unprecedented wave of illegal migrants to Europe across the Mediterranean.
Europe moves to boost ties with Egypt amid Israel's war on Gaza
The war in Gaza has sharply divided opinion in Europe.
Pro-Israel supporters sympathised with Tel Aviv's grievances and backed Israel's "right to defend itself" .
Josep Borrell, the EU high foreign affairs and security policy representative is an expressive exemplar of this European face .
In a media interview given last week, Joseph Borell described the 7 October attacks by Hamas on settlements in southern Israel as a 'war crime' .
However, when asked about Israel's attacks on Gaza, its killing of over 14,000 civilians, and the levelling of thousands of homes in the northern and central parts of the Palestinian territory, Mr Borrell quickly remembered that he is not a lawyer and not well-placed to issue any legal judgements.
However, more and more voices are emerging in Europe against unconditional support for Israel and are acting to mitigate the potential effects of the war on the continent.
As such, some European officials are increasingly engaging with Egypt, a populous, economically struggling country that has borne the brunt of Israel's onslaught on Gaza and faces the prospect of economic devastation as a result.
Some European officials are worried that any extra strain on Egypt could jeopardise its ability to act as its "loyal coastguard" of the African continent.
Some European officials are worried that any extra strain on Egypt could jeopardise its ability to act as its "loyal coastguard" of the African continent.
Shared fears
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is one of these emerging voices. She visited Cairo on 18 November to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she is opposed to the "forced displacement of Palestinians" during a meeting in #Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.#Palestine#Gazahttps://t.co/lKrzrczPnq
European fears of the crisis's adverse effects were evident in von der Leyen's remarks at her meeting with the Egyptian leader.
She rejected the displacement of Gaza's residents, reflecting European fears that if expelled from Gaza, the coastal enclave's population of over 2.3 million would create an unprecedented wave of illegal migrants to Europe across the Mediterranean.
This possibility is not far-fetched, given Egypt's tough economic realities and inability to accept any more refugees from Gaza, especially with the Arab country hosting 9 million refugees from other countries already.
Having wrapped up her meeting with the Egyptian president, the European Commission chief travelled 197 miles to reach the Rafah land port on the border between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai to experience the arduous entry of humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza.
There, she applauded Egypt's efforts to ensure the steady flow of humanitarian relief aid to the people trapped inside this part of Palestine.
Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Egypt reflects European fears that if expelled from Gaza, the coastal enclave's population of over 2.3 million would create an unprecedented wave of illegal migrants to Europe across the Mediterranean.
Egyptian push back
Egypt has been pushing back against Israeli plans to force the residents of Gaza to flee their land and resettle in Sinai. It has outright rejected these plans and indirectly alluded to using military force to ensure the plan doesn't come to fruition.
Palestinians fleeing north Gaza move southward as ambulances head towards north Gaza during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City, November 27, 2023.
On 21 November, Egyptian lawmakers mandated the Egyptian president to take whatever measures necessary to protect Egyptian national security and prevent the relocation of Gaza's population of 2.3 million to Sinai.
During the same stormy session in the Egyptian parliament, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said Egypt would act firmly and decisively – within the bounds of international law – if Israel pushes Palestinians out of Gaza.
A few hours earlier, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Israel's relentless bombardment of areas in southern Gaza was aimed at forcing its population to flee.
Apart from issuing firm statements, Egypt has been tirelessly working to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have whatever they need to stand their ground on their land. It has been pushing for the entry of humanitarian relief aid, including food, water and fuel, to Gaza since the beginning of Israel's onslaught on 7 October.
A four-day truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, further extended by two days, may help more aid get into Gaza.
Europe has also doubled down on its efforts to ensure aid gets into Gaza, after finally coming to the realisation that Palestinians expelled from Gaza could quite possibly end up on European shores.
Egypt has been pushing back against Israeli plans to force the residents of Gaza to flee their land and resettle in Sinai. It has outright rejected these plans and indirectly alluded to using military force to ensure the plan doesn't come to fruition.
Reaching out to Cairo
Europe is reportedly putting together a new aid package for Egypt — one that motivates it to help prevent the flow of illegal migrants to European shores via the Mediterranean Sea.
Von der Leyen wrote on X on 18 November that Europe and Egypt were working on a strategic, comprehensive partnership that would be mutually beneficial. The partnership, she added, would build on longstanding relations between the two sides.
Today I'm in Cairo to discuss with a key partner.
Egypt is playing a crucial role towards stability in these challenging times, for which we are thankful.
Europe will also reportedly accelerate the delivery of search and rescue boats to Egypt to help the Arab country prevent illegal crossings of the Mediterranean.
Nevertheless, Egyptian parliamentarians aspire for a broader partnership with Europe, apart from acting as its "policeman" of illegal migration.
"Egypt shields Europe from illegal migration and terrorism," Atef Maghawri, a member of the Committee on Legislation in the Egyptian parliament, told Al Majalla.
"This paves the way for a more comprehensive partnership with the EU, one that is not confined to the fight against illegal crossings of the Mediterranean," he added.
Nightmare scenario
Egypt has made tremendous efforts to stop the flow of illegal immigration from it to Europe. Having functioned as a transit point for waves of immigrants to European shores for a long time, Egypt has since tightened control over its coasts to prevent those arriving from volatile regions in Africa and the Middle East from using those coasts to set sail to Europe.
This image released by The Hellenic Coastguard on June 14, 2023, shows an aerial view taken from a rescue helicopter, of migrants onboard a fishing vessel in the waters off the Peloponnese coast of Greece on June 13, 2023.
The Egyptian government has also launched several development projects to provide jobs, including a mega-capital city in the Egyptian desert.
Nevertheless, turmoil and war in neighbouring countries, such as Libya and Sudan, have placed Egypt under further strain. Israel's war on Gaza only compounds matters, and renewed flows of illegal immigration become a genuine possibility.
With food prices rising, jobs growing scarce, and life becoming tough, more Egyptians will be tempted to seek opportunities outside their country, most likely in Europe.
Egyptians have already returned to the sea despite the measures state authorities take to crack down on illegal immigration.
The re-emergence of what is called 'death boats', boats taken by Egyptians on dangerous journeys in the hope of reaching the European coast, shows that Egypt needs more than just limited support or playing the coastguard for Europe, observers in Cairo say.
"Egypt needs real support to create economic opportunities for its people and encourage young people to stay in Egypt," Emad Gad, a researcher at local think tank Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al Majalla.
"It needs technology and equipment that help it push its industrial sector forward, which will create jobs for people and stem the tide of illegal immigration to Europe," he added.
