In past decades, the Palestinian cause has always been at the forefront of the Egyptian leadership’s agenda. This fact was reinforced by Egypt’s current efforts to calm the situation in Gaza and its unwavering support for the Palestinian issue. Egypt’s stance on Palestine is abundantly clear.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi reiterated his country’s rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt labeling it as “a red line.” He also called for a different approach to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that involves the recognition by the international community of a Palestinian state and its inclusion in the United Nations. President Sisi suggested this new solution as he sees that the revival of the two-state solution idea over 30 years has made any progress.
President Sisi’s call for the recognition of the Palestinian state and its admission in the UN is necessary for taking serious and practical steps towards solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, away from the unending cycle of negotiations. Egypt has actually started to rally international support for this proposal, which is currently being studied in different capitals around the world.
President Sisi’s proposal comes at a time when the Palestinian cause is at the forefront of the world attention these days. Several demonstrations in Europe demand a halt to the Israeli war on Gaza.
Sisi also proposed features of the desired Palestinian State, expressing readiness to accept a demilitarised Palestinian state, potentially with the presence of international forces – whether from NATO, the United Nations, or American or Arab forces – to guarantee security for both Palestine and Israel.
The suggestion of a demilitarised Palestinian state sends a reassuring message to Israel and its allies, especially the US, as security fears were one of the primary reasons for freezing negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state.
Realising this, President Sisi proposed this solution as a means for pushing world powers to think of a sustainable means to stop the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Egypt is the biggest supporter of the first Arab cause as manifested in its intense diplomatic, political, and humanitarian efforts to calm the situation in Gaza and allow access of humanitarian aid there despite the Israeli intransigence.
In light of this, Arab and Western leaders are always ready to coordinating with the Egyptian leadership to halt the escalation of violence in Gaza.
Israeli leaders should learn the lesson: whatever their military and intelligence prowess, they will never attain security as long as they violate the rights of the Palestinian people. Recent Israeli attacks on Palestinians are clear evidence of this. Despite boasts of superior security and intel, it failed to predict what happened.
Mohamed Fahmy is the editor-in-chief of The Egyptian Gazette and Egyptian Mail newspapers
