Abbas rejects Sisi’s request to cancel punitive measures imposed on Gaza

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected a request from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to cancel the punitive measures he has imposed on the Gaza Strip, Israeli TV claimed yesterday.

The Israeli state-owned TV Kan published excerpts from the phone call made between the two presidents, pointing out that the request was made on the basis that the punishments pose threats to the Egyptian national security.

“More punitive measures against Gaza would undermine Egypt’s national security,” Al-Sisi told Abbas during the call.

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Abbas replied: “What is posing a threat to the Egyptian national security is not my punishment, but the creation of a state for the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza led by Hamas.”

Israeli TV claimed that Al-Sisi stopped speaking after Abbas’ reply and reported a Palestinian official describing the phone call as “highly tense”.

In July, Al-Sisi said in a speech delivered at Cairo University that “finding a solution must not be at the expense of security and stability of the Israelis.”