FM affirms Egypt will not participate in new ‘Nakba’ during UNGA Speech

CAIRO – 28 September 2025: Egypt told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that it will never participate in a new “Nakba,” rejecting any scenarios for the displacement of the Palestinian people and stressing that such acts amount to “crimes of ethnic cleansing.”

“Nakba” (Arabic for “catastrophe”) refers to the 1948 Palestinian exodus, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes during the Arab–Israeli War, amid fighting and mass expulsions by Zionist forces.

“Egypt has not been, and will never be, a gateway to liquidating the Palestinian cause,” Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told the 80th session of the UNGA, reaffirming Cairo’s unwavering support for “the steadfastness of the proud Palestinian people, firmly attached to their national soil.”

He added that Egypt “will never be partners in a new Nakba and the multiplied human crimes and tragedies it would entail.”

Moreover, Abdelatty commended US President Donald Trump’s declaration of readiness to work with regional leaders to end the war in Gaza, according to “a comprehensive vision that would stop the bloodshed, ensure security for all, and restore the foundations of lost trust.”

Amid Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation over its unrelenting war in Gaza that has killed nearly 66,000 Palestinians and plunged the enclave into a widespread famine, the US last week unveiled a “21-point plan” aimed at achieving peace in Gaza.

The initiative came as Trump met with leaders from several Arab and Muslim leaders on Tuesday on the UNGA sidelines.

The plan reportedly includes the release of all captives and a permanent ceasefire, alongside a framework for governing Gaza without Hamas and a phased Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, while ensuring that the Palestinians remain on their land.

Egypt stands ready to “build on President Trump’s vision to restore stability, end the war in Gaza, open horizons for peace, secure the release of hostages and prisoners, and heal the wounds of orphans, captives, the wounded, and the starving,” Abdelatty stressed.

He stated that this approach requires “putting aside the arrogance of power and raising the banners of reconstruction and hope for tomorrow.”

During his address, the foreign minister warned that the Middle East now “stands on the brink of explosion” amid lack of all foundations of peace, security, and stability.

“There is no notable respect for international legitimacy, and our Palestinian brothers fall victim to the most atrocious Israeli practices, represented in a fierce war against unarmed civilians for a sin they did not commit.”

He added that these Israeli practices against Gazans are “driven by an extremist ideology that sees nothing but killing, destruction, systematic starvation, and a poisoned rhetoric inciting violence and hatred.”

Abdelatty condemned Israel’s assaults on several countries in the region during Gaza war, warning that the mechanisms of the multilateral international system are collapsing and losing credibility due to the crimes committed in full view and hearing of the international community.

“The hands of aggression, intoxicated with power and devoid of accountability, have extended over the states of the region one after another, with the latest chapter being the treacherous aggression against our sister state, Qatar.”

He highlighted late President Anwar El-Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem in 1977, laying the foundations of peace in the Middle East, warning that after two years of Gaza war, “the foundations of a peace process painstakingly built over more than 45 years have become in jeopardy.”

The top diplomat underscored Egypt’s full support for the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, praising the courageous decisions of countries that have recognized the State of Palestine.

He stressed that the region can never achieve stability without an independent Palestinian state and that Israel cannot enjoy security while others live in insecurity.

Abdelatty warned that the continued occupation and acts of genocide, along with the denial of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, chief among them the realization of an independent State of Palestine along the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, “render any talk of security or peace in the region meaningless.”