US president Donald Trump famously called Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi his “favourite dictator” in 2019, but their relationship has been complex. Trump’s return to the White House for a second term has sent ripples of concern through Cairo. In January 2025, Trump proposed a resolution to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza: forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Trump simultaneously threatened to withdraw US aid if these countries didn’t comply with the proposal. Sisi’s Egypt will need to navigate Trump’s ambition without sacrificing the regime’s own survival. May Darwich, who has studied Arab states’ foreign policies and alliances in the Middle East, explains what’s at stake.
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The Conversation
Politics
May Darwich, Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham
Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump
Egypt
United States
Donald Trump
Gaza
Israel
the White House
Cairo
Abdel Fattah elSisi
the Middle East
Jordan
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