Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi reiterated Egypt’s rejection of the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, displacement of Gazans, and “all deliberate practices that target civilians,” calling upon the international community to intervene and stop these acts “immediately”.
Addressing a joint press conference following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Cairo’s Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace on Wednesday, President Sisi voiced “deep sorrow and pain, expressing condolences over the victims of shelling al-Ahli Arab Hospital” in Gaza City, which left hundreds killed or wounded.
“I reiterate Egypt’s condemnation of all military actions targeting civilians, in flagrant violation of all international laws,” the president said.
Welcoming Scholz in Cairo, President Sisi said that this visit comes at a very critical time, amid the dangerous military escalation in the Gaza Strip, and the ensued regional challenges.
The talks with the German Chancellor addressed, in detail, the military confrontations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, and the escalation in Gaza, which claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, on both sides, portending grave perils to civilians and the peoples of the region, Sisi said.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating in an unfortunate and unprecedented manner, he said, categorically rejecting Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, as well as cutting water, fuel, electricity, and aid, with the chief goal of expelling Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai, in a bid to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
“The continuation of the military operations will cause insecurity and humanitarian repercussions, which could spiral out of control and even threaten to expand the conflict in the absence of concerted efforts by all regional and international powers to reach an immediate cessation to the ongoing escalation,” President Sisi warned.
Reviewing Egypt’s tireless efforts to contain the crisis, through extensive contacts with both sides of the conflict, and all relevant regional and international parties, President Sisi and Chancellor Scholz shared vision on “the necessity to restore the path of calm, opening up fresh prospects for settlement to avoid the region’s sliding into a vicious cycle of violence, which would expose the lives of civilians to further dangers,” the president told the conference.
President Sisi stressed the necessity of dealing with the Palestinian cause through a comprehensive and an integrated perspective that ensures Palestinians’ right to establishing an independent state on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The two leaders agreed on the prime importance of intensifying efforts to resume the peace process, once the current escalation is contained, in addition to developing prospects for settling the Palestinian issue.
Voicing Egypt’s deep concern over the seriousness of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, President Sisi stressed the necessity of allowing humanitarian and relief aid into the Strip, as well as facilitating the work of United Nations and the relevant international and humanitarian organisations.
Egypt continues to receive humanitarian aid for Palestinians and is committed to delivering it to Gaza, through the Rafah Border Crossing, when conditions permit, President Sisi said.
Egypt did not close the Rafah Crossing since the outbreak of the crisis. However, the developments on the ground and the repeated Israeli strikes on the Palestinian side of the crossing obstructed its operation.
Sisi warned of the gravity of liquidating the Palestinian cause, asserting that Egypt will continue to support the Palestinian cause.
He re-warned of the dangers of relocating the Palestinians in Sinai, adding that this also means bringing resistance and fighting from the Gaza Strip into Sinai so that Sinai would become a base for attacking Israel which will consequently have the right to defend itself. President Sisi accentuated Egypt is keen on realising peace.
He added that millions of Egyptians will support this stand and reject the idea of relocating the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
President Sisi also categorically rejected the Israeli siege on Gaza and cutting off electricity, fuel and water in addition to preventing aid access. He said that the idea of relocating Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to Egypt simply means that the Palestinians in the West Bank would be evacuated to Jordan, thus annihilating the idea of establishing a Palestinian state as the lands exist, but the Palestinians are not there.
Sisi voiced hope that the German chancellor’s visit would be a key step towards ending the current crisis and achieving peaceful coexistence.
For his part, Scholz said he came to Egypt because it is a direct neighbour of Gaza and therefore is affected by the situation there.
