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| Sinai Peninsula (encircled) |
PTI
is reporting that Egypt's President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi has offered the
Palestinian Authority about 1,600 square kilometres of the Sinai peninsula to
create a new state five times the size of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
The
Egyptian Foreign Ministry was quick to dismiss the reports published in Israeli
media, saying the initiative was actually made in the past by ousted Islamist
President Mohammed Morsi.
Sisi,
too, denied such reports and said there is no Egyptian proposal to offer parts
of the Sinai to Palestinians to create a new state.
"No
one can do this (cede parts of the Sinai Peninsula for a Palestinian
state)," he was quoted by Egypt's official MENA news agency as saying.
According
to Israel's Army Radio, Sisi in his alleged proposal had offered 1,600 square
kilometres of the Sinai Peninsula given to the Palestinian Authority leader
Mahmoud Abbas, creating a Palestinian state five times the size of the Gaza
Strip.
Under the terms of the purported plans, the Palestinian Authority would be
granted full autonomy in Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank.
In
exchange, Abbas was asked to relinquish his demand that Israel retreat back to
pre-1967 borders.
The
report added that the Egyptian initiative received the US' go-ahead. Israel's
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also informed.
According
to the report, Sisi said to Abbas in the meeting: "You are now 80 years
old, if you don't accept this proposal, your successor will."
An
idea along the same lines was introduced years ago by Israeli academics but
Egypt rejected the proposal.
Gaza
is still recovering from a 50-day conflict which saw more than 2,100
Palestinians killed as well as 66 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians.
PTI
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