(C) Common Dreams
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Europe urged to take 1m Gazans if it ‘cares about human rights so much’ [1]
['Magdy Samaan', 'James Crisp', 'Josh White', 'Alex Barton', 'Ben Farmer', 'Joe Barnes', 'Nataliya Vasilyeva', 'Europe Editor']
Date: 2023-10-17
Europe should take in the one million people trying to flee Gaza if it cares “about human rights so much”, a senior Egyptian official reportedly told a European counterpart.
“You want us to take one million people? Well, I am going to send them to Europe. You care about human rights so much – well, you take them,” said the unidentified official.
The comment, first reported by the Financial Times, was made amid media reports suggesting the Egyptian government is refusing to accept the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in northern Sinai.
It came as Charles Michel, the European Council president, said the conflict could have “major security consequences” for Europe, with a “risk of onward migratory waves” if not handled with care.
To avoid a mass exodus from the Gaza Strip into Egypt, the Egyptian army has begun setting up positions close to the border, reinforcing it with barbed wire, expanding patrols and installing a concrete wall at the Rafah crossing with Gaza.
This means that, if Palestinians are allowed to cross into Egypt, they will be allowed only as far as the 8.5-mile buffer zone in Rafah.
The United States, which has been trying to strike a deal allowing refugees to leave Gaza, said on Tuesday that Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, had agreed to let humanitarian aid reach the besieged coastal enclave.
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[1] Url:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/17/egypt-government-official-europe-million-refugees-sinai/
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