As Israel seizes control of the Rafah crossing while pushing Palestinians to the last safe square metres in the Gaza Strip through its recent evacuation order, all eyes are directed at Cairo, where mediation talks have been taking place since October.
The Egyptian capital is now hosting the latest ceasefire negotiations, which the US is optimistic can bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas, EU observer newspaper reported.
This comes despite Israel’s deadly strikes and calls to evacuate Rafah, which had disregarded Hamas’s willingness to halt hostilities earlier this week.
As EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell deemed the Israeli ground operation in Rafah as “unacceptable” and some MEPs and EU countries such as Belgium call for further sanctions on Israel, the bloc continues to work with Egypt – with ceasefire talks expected to continue on Wednesday (8 May) between Cairo, Hamas, Israel, the US and Qatar.
“While not participating directly in the negotiations, the EU continues to give all its support to the critical US-Qatar-Egypt brokered talks to reach a much-needed ceasefire,” a commission spokesperson told EUobserver.
In the last seven months of the war, senior EU representatives have visited Egypt repeatedly to engage in talks and humanitarian efforts — but also as part of their strategic partnership finalised last March to deal with irregular migration.
“Egypt is a crucial partner in addressing the crisis in the Middle East,” the commission spokesperson ensures, pointing out that the EU values the ongoing mediation efforts led by Cairo.
“In the medium to long term, Egypt will have a role together with the Arab partners in the post-war stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza,” he also said.
“The growing importance of Egypt, highlighted by its key role in Gaza-related negotiations and the newly signed strategic agreement with the EU, does signify a return of Egypt’s key role in Europe’s regional vision and engagement,” Anthony Dworkin, from the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations, said.
For both experts, Egypt’s role in other fronts such as the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean vis-à-vis Turkey, the situation in Libya, and migration to Europe further strengthens Cairo’s position as a natural strategic partner for the EU in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Africa.
