Sisi renews call for expedited recognition of Palestinian state as sole path to just, durable settlement
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has delivered a forceful message of solidarity with Qatar, condemning the recent Israeli attack on Doha as “a grave breach of international law, a dangerous precedent, and a direct threat to Arab and Islamic national security.”
The Egyptian leader’s message was contained in the address de delivered to the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha on Monday in response to the Israeli assault on the State of Qatar.
Expressing strong condemnation of the Israeli aggression, President Sisi stressed Egypt’s full solidarity with the leadership and people of Qatar which is undertaking a pivotal role in mediation efforts alongside Egypt and the United States to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that such aggression undermines peace efforts and threatens to widen the conflict.
Such an unbridled and regionally destabilizing Israeli behaviour risks expanding the conflict into a dangerous spiral of escalation that cannot be tolerated or ignored, President Sisi said, urging the international community to assume its moral and legal responsibilities by holding Israel accountable for the flagrant violations and ending the prevailing state of impunity.
The President reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people, rejecting “collective punishment, starvation policies, and any proposals aimed at displacing Palestinians from their land.” He stressed that attempts to impose new realities by force “will never bring security to any side.”
Stressing that the Palestinian cause is the key to regional stability, President Sisi urged immediate recognition of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Egypt, President Sisi said, is looking forward to the upcoming Conference on the Two-State Solution” in New York on September 22 to constitute a decisive point along the road for achieving a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause.
“I am therefore renewing the call for immediate recognition of the Palestinian state by the countries which have not yet taken this step, emanating from the consideration that this is the sole path to preserving the two-state framework,” President Sisi added.
The President further emphasised the importance of unity in the face of the challenges the region is witnessing, adding that this is the approach to avoid the region’s sliding into more chaos and conflicts as well as to prevent the imposition of regional security arrangements that contradict our common interests and vision.
“Our message today is clear. We will not accept infringement upon the sovereignty of our countries; nor will we permit the failure of peace efforts. And together we will stand in one rank in defence of Arab and Islamic rights, with the right of the Palestinian people to independent statehood and to live in freedom, dignity and security,” President Sisi said.
This time of crucial historical circumstance demands consideration of establishing such a mechanism for Arab-Islamic coordination and co-operation that enables us all to confront political, security, and economic challenges.
“Egypt, as always, extends its hand to every sincere effort that leads to just peace and supports the stability of the Arab and Islamic worlds,” President Sisi said, concluding his address.
