Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa discussed on Wednesday their countries’ efforts and the joint Arab action to address the “untenable situation” in Gaza.
President Sisi told a joint press conference following summit talks with the Bahraini monarch.
“Today, we are gathering at a time of great peril as a result of the bloody Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the inexorable loss of thousands of helpless and innocent civilians in scenes of untold horror. They have done nothing more than live in their own land, clinging to their homes and homeland, and yearning for a life with dignity, pride and humanity,” President Sisi said.
“His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa and I deliberated on our countries’ efforts and joint Arab action to address this untenable situation, bring it to an end and, above all, prevent its recurrence.
For this to happen, the international community should stand united to enforce an immediate, urgent and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, end any attempts of forced displacement, starvation or collective punishment of the brotherly Palestinian people, and ensure the full-fledged, unfettered and sustainable flow of sufficient quantities of desperately-needed humanitarian aid and relief to the enclave,” President Sisi said.
In parallel, the parties concerned shall immediately embark, in earnest, on tracks conducive to a just and enduring political solution to the Palestinian cause, on the basis of the two-state solution, and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian State, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, enjoying both international acknowledgment and full membership of the United Nations, President Sisi added.
Egypt has repeatedly warned not only against the direct political, security and humanitarian ramifications of this war on the brothers in occupied Palestine, but also of the inevitable adverse spillover of the conflict and the subsequent, unavoidable calls for escalation and retribution that will plunge the region into a cycle of violence and counter-violence, expanding its realm to ruthlessly obliterate any hope of peace and of a stable, secure life for the peoples of the region.
Indeed, over the past few months, the region has been experiencing the devastating consequences of the ongoing war, as its flames spiraled outward, creating the current intensely fraught and perilous state in the region, that gravely jeopardises the security, stability and future of our peoples.
Today, His Majesty King Hamad and I thoroughly discussed these troubling regional developments and our visions for addressing them, driven by our shared belief in the crucial importance of safeguarding the security and stability of the region and its peoples against multiple threats, and of not abandoning their fate to the will of warmongers. This commitment is grounded in the principle of prioritising common Arab security, which we consider as indivisible, President Sisi told the conference.
We agreed on the urgent need to exert and encourage immediate and intensive efforts toward de-escalation, both in the Palestinian territories and at the regional level. We also concurred about the importance of urging the parties to adopt a rational approach, embrace political solutions, and abandon military solutions and notions of dominance and hegemony.
“His Majesty the King of Bahrain and I shared the view that unwavering efforts for peace shall prevail and an alternative path shall emerge for the countries and peoples of the region, one that is filled with hope for the future, where they join efforts to achieve prosperity and development,” President Sisi said.
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