Written by: Amira Mohamed
Soha Al-Baghdadi strongly condemned Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich for provocative remarks regarding Egyptian sovereignty and the Rafah Crossing. Al-Baghdadi warned that calls for forced displacement of Palestinians constitute ethnic cleansing and a violation of international humanitarian law. Egypt remains a firm barrier against regional instability, prioritizing national security and the historic rights of the Palestinian people.
Picture: Amira Mohamed
Writer and political researcher Soha Al-Baghdadi strongly responded to the provocative statements made by Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he called for “expelling Egypt from the American headquarters in Kiryat Gat,” attacked Egypt’s position by describing it as hostile, and recently spoke about opening the Rafah Crossing with or without Egypt’s approval and allowing Gaza’s residents to leave.
Soha Al-Baghdadi said:
“Smotrich’s statements are not only rude, but also reflect a state of political and moral confusion within the occupation government, which sees any independent Arab position as a threat. Egypt is a sovereign state with a deep history and civilization, and it has never been subordinate to anyone or sought anyone’s approval—neither in Washington nor in Tel Aviv. Anyone who imagines that Egypt can be sidelined by an extremist statement is ignorant of its true weight in regional equations.”
She added:
“The attack on Egypt comes as a result of its steadfast positions on the Palestinian cause and its rejection of liquidating the historic rights of the Palestinian people. Egypt has not succumbed to blackmail, nor has it become a tool in the occupation’s project. Rather, it has remained a political and moral barrier against its schemes.”
Al-Baghdadi warned against Smotrich’s recent remarks regarding the Rafah Crossing, stressing that:
“What he is proposing is not a humanitarian initiative as he tries to portray it, but a fully-fledged forced displacement project and a crime of ethnic cleansing, rejected morally and legally. The Rafah Crossing is Egyptian-Palestinian and falls under full Egyptian sovereignty. Any talk of opening it without Egypt’s approval is a political illusion and a crude attempt to impose a fait accompli through force and blackmail.”
She emphasized:
“Israel besieges Gaza and then speaks of opening crossings to expel the population, not to allow food and medicine in. This is not a solution, but an evasion of responsibility and an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause through displacement.”
She concluded by saying:
“The Egyptian position is clear and firm: no displacement, no forced resettlement, and no tampering with Egyptian national security or the rights of the Palestinian people. Smotrich’s statements expose the true face of the occupation government and confirm that what is happening in Gaza is not merely a war, but a project to uproot an entire people from their land—something Egypt will not accept and will not allow to pass, no matter the pressure.”This response comes amid growing regional and international outrage over open Israeli calls to displace the population of the Gaza Strip, which constitute a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
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