Egypt and Jordan refuse to accept Palestinian refugees. Here's why

As more than one million Palestinians flee their homes in northern Gaza, seeking safety from the ongoing brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas, neighboring countries Egypt and Jordan have declined to offer refuge, according to an AP report.

Despite Gaza sharing a border with Egypt and the occupied West Bank bordering Jordan, both nations have refused entry to Palestinian refugees, as highlighted in the AP report. Additionally, Jordan already hosts a substantial Palestinian population.

Reasons behind Egypt and Jordan's rejection of Palestinian refugees

• Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stated on October 18 that Egyptians would not permit the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai. He expressed concern that this could turn the Egyptian peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel, as reported by Reuters.
• President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi essentially warned and was worried that this might disturb the peace in the region. 
• Security concers: Egyptian President's decision of not letting Palestinian refugees enter Egypt is rooted in the fear that the migration of Palestinians would be dangerous as it might lead to letting militants enter Egypt's Sinai peninsula, and from here the militants might launch attacks on Israel, thereby hampering Israel and Egypt's 1979 peace treaty. And if this happens, then Israel would have the right to defend themselves, and then they might attack Egyptian territory.
• Jordan’s King Abdullah II gave a similar message on Tuesday where he warned against pushing Palestinian refugees into Egypt or Jordan, and said that this crisis must be dealt with inside Gaza and the West Bank. 
• King Abdullah further added, "That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground. No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt."
• The two countries are worried and not allowing Palestinian refugees to enter because they fear that Israel is seeking for Palestinians to move and live in Egypt or Jordan, and this might invalidate Palestinian demands for statehood.

Palestinians are not new to being displaced

• History has witnessed that Palestinians have been displaced in large numbers to surrounding nations, living in camps and communities in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. 
• Jordan had absorbed most of the Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes as Israel was created. 
• And during the 1967 Arab-Israel war, when Israel captured West Bank and Gaza Strip, around 300,000 Palestinians fled, mostly into Jordan.
• Egypt also fears that if Palestinians would be allowed in Egypt, then might end up staying in the country permanently. 
• There is no reassurance as to when the war will end and if Palestinian refugees will be able to go back. 

Arab countries and Palestinians are worried that Israel might use this opportunity to change the demographics of the region and nullify Palestinian demands for statehood in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem (which was also siezed by Israel in 1967).

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