The international summit, which brought together almost twenty Arab and European countries this Saturday in Egypt to address the crisis in Gaza and explore solutions to curb the deterioration of the situation and military de-escalation, ended without a common agreement. despite the seriousness of the situation. There were renewed calls to redouble efforts to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict based on the two-state solution. The Egyptian presidency’s statement at the end of the meeting limited itself to saying that Cairo hopes that the international community will reconsider its strategy of the past decades on the Palestinian issue in order to launch a “real and serious” peace process.
Expectations for the conference were low from the start, especially since the main players in the crisis were either not present, such as Israel, Iran and Hamas, or sent lower-level officials, such as the United States, which was represented by the chargé d’affaires of its embassy in Egypt. At the same time, the position of Washington and Brussels, which have always insisted on Israel’s right to defend itself against a terrorist threat, is very far from the position of the majority of Arab capitals, which point out that the escalation is part of a context of occupation, lack of future prospects for the Palestinian people and unilateral actions by Israel. The leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom did not attend the summit, which also took place against the backdrop of an impending Israeli invasion of Gaza. The participating countries were also unable to agree on a joint final declaration.
In his opening speech, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi proposed a roadmap out of the crisis that includes first ensuring an “unrestricted and sustained” delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and negotiating to contain the fire. Al Sisi called for then to restart a peace process aimed at establishing a Palestinian state, saying that “the time has come to dispel the political illusion that the status quo can be maintained.” Shortly before At the beginning of the summit, the first convoy of humanitarian aid for Gaza crossed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The acting president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, condemned “the terrorist attacks” against Israel and recognized Israel’s right to defend itself “in strict compliance” with international law and in line with the position of the European Union, but also called for a humanitarian attack to stop and send more aid to Gaza. Representing Spain, which holds the rotating EU Council Presidency, Sánchez explained that the priorities must be to protect civilians and ensure their access to humanitarian aid, release hostages held by Hamas and prevent an escalation of the conflict in the region, and asked to support the two-state solution. Other European delegations also focused on the humanitarian issue and respect for international law.
In addition to the joint meeting, Sánchez also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “I expressed our support and solidarity with the suffering of the people of Gaza,” the president said in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “Spain will increase humanitarian assistance and cooperation for Palestine,” he promised.
For their part, the heads of state and government of the Arab countries present at the summit urged an end to the escalation, condemned the acts of violence against civilians in Gaza and once again rejected the forced relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, which they proposed last two weeks to the United States and Israel. It also deplored the dehumanization of Palestinian victims and stressed the need for decisive steps towards a two-state solution as a basis for ensuring peace and stability in the region in the long term. “The two-state solution and the end of the occupation according to a clear timetable are the solution to the current crisis,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in his speech.
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his speech that nothing justifies Hamas’ attack on Israel, but also pointed out that this cannot justify “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people and called for respect for international humanitarian law. Guterres also stressed the need for a return to the two-state solution as the “only realistic basis for true peace and stability” in the region, adding: “We cannot and should not ignore the broader context of these tragic events: the ongoing conflict. ” and 56 years of occupation with no end in sight.” The UN Secretary General also called for a humanitarian ceasefire to provide “immediate, full and sustained” humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the release of those held by Hamas hostages and preventing the spread of violence.
Although the participants of the meeting could not agree on a joint statement, the holding of the summit allows Egypt to strengthen its role as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Palestine and justify its political relevance in the region, especially in the eyes of the West Countries. , and attempt to maintain some control over the agenda, as has been the case in several previous escalations of violence in recent years.
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