Egyptian media professionals have criticized the US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff following his statements on Egypt’s economic situation, claiming that it is “largely broke”.
Witkoff’s statements are seen as Washington’s latest attempt to apply pressure on Cairo regarding the Gaza Strip’s negotiations, RT reported on Sunday.
Media professional and parliamentarian Mostafa Bakry said, “Witkoff’s statements, in which he claims that Egypt is on the verge of bankruptcy, are worthless.”
Bakry added in a post on his X account: “Egypt has the second largest economy in Africa and the second largest Arab economy. Egypt has comparative advantages that enable it to overcome crises.”
He continued: “Poor Witkoff doesn’t know the Egyptian people, their faith in their country and their trust in the political leadership and state institutions. As for the rest of his statements, they are foolish nonsense. We know full well that these statements aim to pressure Egypt because of its refusal to allow displacement and liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
Witkoff’s statements came during an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, responding to a question about the impact of the situation in Gaza on the internal situations in Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
“I want to say, the stats in Egypt are huge – unemployment under 25 is like 45 percent. A country can’t exist like that. They’re largely broke. They need a lot of help,” he said.
