US President Donald Trump’s remarks calling for free passage for US military and commercial vessels through the Suez Canal sparked a heated debate in Egypt on Saturday.
The controversy erupted in Egypt following a post on the Truth Social platform by US President Donald Trump, who stated: “American vessels, whether military or commercial, should be allowed free passage through the Panama and Suez Canals! These canals would not exist without the
United States of America.”
He added that he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately resolve” this issue.
The statement regarding the Suez Canal sparked strong reactions in Egypt.
MP Mostafa Bakri responded on the X platform, stating: “Trump says: Without America, there would have been no Suez Canal. In what context? When the Egyptians dug the canal between 1859 and 1869, America was still a young nation. It seems you need to brush up on history.”
Bakri added that Egypt would not accept “this cheap blackmail,” reiterating that international rules must be respected and Egyptian sovereignty cannot be violated.
He cited Presidential Decree No. 30 of 1957, which established transit rights through the canal.
In another message, the parliamentarian denounced what he considered a US policy of intimidation and blackmail against sovereign states, calling this claim “a blatant theft against an independent country that is a member of the United Nations.”
This controversy reveals the persistent sensitivity of Egyptian public opinion to perceived attempts at foreign interference, particularly regarding a symbol of national sovereignty like the Suez Canal. The
Panama Canal, an artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific, handles approximately 40 percent of U.S. container traffic and has been under Panamanian control since 1999.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to “reclaim” the canal.
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