These days a year ago, Israeli aggressions against the Gaza Strip escalated, worsening the humanitarian situation in it and increasing the number of casualties.
While these genocidal attacks against the Palestinians continued, Egypt emerged as a model for respecting human rights. This stood in stark contrast with Western countries that have misused these rights.
Over the course of 12 months, Egypt took a series of courageous stances to demonstrate its commitment to human rights.
It permitted the Arab Organisation for Human Rights and its Palestinian subsidiary to document the testimonies of the wounded who receive treatment in Egyptian hospitals.
This step highlighted the importance Egypt attached to documenting Israel’s intransigence which obstructs the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
These efforts culminated in presenting significant findings to the investigation team of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which were also utilised by the UN Human Rights Council’s investigation committee.
Egypt also joined South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel for genocide, demonstrating its leading role on the international stage.
Furthermore, Egypt provided approximately $600 million in humanitarian aid and medical care for around 5,500 wounded individuals, representing 73 per cent of those who were able to leave Gaza.
Egypt hosted these wounded individuals and their companions in facilities especially prepared for them, reflecting Arab solidarity.
In contrast, the Western, particularly American, stances towards Israeli aggressions show a stark contradiction.
Since the start of the war, $17.9 billion has been spent on military aid to Israel, escalating the conflict in the region.
According to a report by Brown University, the US invests enormous amounts of money in enhancing military operations in the Middle East, with little regard for the humanitarian dimensions or the rights of the Palestinian people.
Israeli attacks have led to the death of nearly 42,000 people in Gaza, while 1,400 people were killed in Lebanon.
This escalation affirms that the current situation requires a serious reconsideration of Western policies towards the Palestinian conflict, especially in the light of the tragic humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza.
In addition to humanitarian aid, Egypt succeeded in thwarting malicious plans aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their lands, in an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution.
Egypt emphasised in all regional and international forums its categorical rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians and warned of the potential grave consequences of this plan on the security and stability of the region.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, in contacts with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and others, stressed Egypt’s rejection of plans to displace Palestinians from their lands.
The current war underscores the need to stop Israeli aggressions and find solutions that promote international peace and security.
The continuation of this aggression will, not only affect the region, but global security as a whole.
It is essential for Arab countries to adopt brave stances similar to those of Egypt, and promote awareness of human rights as a fundamental part of justice.
We must realise that building on the foundations of justice and humanity requires structural reforms in the international system, ensuring adherence to international law and the protection of people’s rights.
What is happening in Gaza and Lebanon today should attract attention to the need to take serious steps towards achieving peace and restoring rights.
Mohamed Fahmy is the editor-in-chief of The Egyptian Gazette and Egyptian Mail newspapers [email protected]
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