No aid for Egypt until it takes Gaza refugees
Washington Examiner
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Palestinian civilians need a safe place to go while Israel wages war on Hamas. In this context, Egypt owes the International Monetary Fund $22 billion and wants another $5 billion.
With these facts in mind, President Joe Biden should be able to make a deal.
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Egypt’s reluctance to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza is understandable. It already hosts 9 million refugees from around the region, including almost 100,000 from Gaza. Even during peacetime, Egypt keeps tight control of the border, rarely letting Gaza residents in.
That Gaza residents want to flee Israeli military action makes it even more difficult for Egypt to open its doors. “The Palestinian cause is the cause of all Arabs, and Palestinians should stay on their lands,” Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi said. There is an understandable sentiment in the region that Egypt would betray the campaign for a Palestinian statehood if it drained refugees from Gaza.
There are also real security concerns. Egypt is already plagued by the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas. Cairo is understandably concerned that if it lets Gaza refugees into the country, many of them could be members of Hamas who will want to do violence not just to Israel but to the Egyptian government as well.
These are all good reasons for Egypt to resist taking in Gazan refugees. But there are also good reasons why Egypt should do so anyway.
There is a humanitarian imperative to relieve suffering and prevent civilian deaths. Israel is waging a military campaign against Hamas from the air and always tries to avoid civilian casualties, but in a conflict this big, it is impossible to do so entirely. And the violence will soon be extended in a ground campaign. Egypt would benefit immensely from the elimination of Hamas. Hamas is trying to maximize casualties already and will do so even more when Israel’s ground invasion comes. Egypt can help eliminate Hamas by taking in civilians and minimizing innocent deaths.
This should be reason enough for Egypt to take in refugees from Gaza, but there are others as well.
Egypt already receives about $1.3 billion in military and economic aid from the United States every year. Biden suspended this after his first two years in office and allowed only $235 million this year. Delivering aid already appropriated by Congress is just one inducement Biden can use to get Egypt to open its border.
Another is that Egypt owes the IMF $22 billion, and this December, it secured another $3 billion. Yet not even this $3 billion was enough. Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer, and wheat production has been severely curtailed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Egypt asked the IMF just this month to increase its $3 billion from December to $5 billion.
The U.S. does not control the IMF directly, but it is its largest financial contributor. Biden has significant control over IMF decisions on loans.
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Taking in refugees from Gaza will be expensive. They will need to be housed, clothed, fed, and given medical care. Because of the danger of Hamas infiltration, security will also have to be beefed up.
It is reasonable that Egypt can be given loans and aid to convince it that it is in its interest to save as many civilian lives as possible.