Egyptian official: Sisi's office watered down statement

An Egyptian official has said that a foreign ministry statement released shortly after Donald Trump unveiled his "deal of the century" was watered down after it was sent to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's office for approval.

The source told Mada Masr that the original draft text mentioned the establishment of a "Palestinian state on territories occupied in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital" - a phrase that was omitted in the final version.

The final statement also omitted a phrase from the initial draft that stipulated the "need for Israel to realise that achieving peace in the region will not happen without guaranteeing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," the source said. 

Instead, the final statement used slightly less direct phrasing that pointed to the importance of "restoring to the Palestinian people their full legitimate rights through the establishment of a sovereign independent state in the Palestinian occupied territories in accordance with international legitimacy and resolutions."