US president threatens to halt billions in aid to Egypt and Jordan unless they agree to take in Gaza refugees under his plan; Egyptian president suspends White House meeting amid worst bilateral relations in decades 

The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty may be invalid if U.S. President Donald Trump carries out his threats to end American aid to Egypt, diplomatic sources in Cairo were quoted as saying in an article to the Qatari Al Araby al-Jadeen newspaper on Tuesday.

The sources said the planned meeting in Washington between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Trump has been suspended indefinitely amid the worse crisis in U.S.-Egypt relations in three decades and Cairo’s rejection of Trump’s plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza while he rebuilds the Strip and settle them in neighboring Arab countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump‘s remarks late Monday threatening to halt American aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to accept Palestinian refugees, mark a turning point in the Palestinian issue, linking it to the longstanding relationships these countries have with the U.S.

In January, the Trump administration froze all international U.S. aid for 85 days for “review,” but exempted Israel and Egypt due to the ongoing war.

Other sources told Saudi television network Al-Arabiya that “Egypt has decided to take precautions against any potential halt of U.S. aid and has prepared emergency plans to deal with U.S. pressure regarding the displacement issue.”

Egypt, the third-largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel and Jordan, would be heavily impacted if the aid is cut off. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, U.S. aid to Egypt is estimated at $2.1 billion, including $815 million in economic aid, with the rest allocated for military aid. The outlet also noted that the U.S. has often used aid as leverage against Egypt.

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