The Cairo Peace Summit, co-chaired by the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine, urged the international community to find a solution to the current Middle East crisis, protect civilians’ lives, and activate the peace process to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.
The summit, held on Saturday, also emphasized the need to expedite the provision of a safe passage and a ceasefire to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi opened the summit by saying, “the liquidation of the Palestinian issue without a just solution will not happen, and under no circumstances will it be at Egypt’s expense.”
He added: “The peoples of the whole world are watching with wide eyes our positions at this delicate historical moment in connection with the military escalation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.”
Al-Sisi said that Egypt has engaged in strenuous efforts to coordinate and send humanitarian aid to the besieged in Gaza.
He also said he agreed with US President Joe Biden to operate the crossing sustainably in coordination with the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Al-Sisi reiterated Cairo’s complete rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinian people to the Sinai territories.
He said the solution to the Palestinian issue is not the displacement of an entire people to other areas but justice and obtaining their legitimate rights and the right to self-determination.
“Egypt paid a huge price for peace in this region, initiated it when the voice of war was the loudest and maintained it alone when the voice of hollow bids was the only one and remained tall-headed, leading its region towards peaceful coexistence based on justice,” he added.
Al-Sisi stressed the need for the Cairo Peace Summit to send a message of hope: “Let’s send a message of hope to the people of the world that tomorrow will be better than today.”
“Let’s send a message to the peoples of the world that his leaders realize the greatness of responsibility… And they see with their own eyes the enormity of the humanitarian catastrophe… And they suffer from the bottom of their hearts for every innocent child dies because of a conflict that he does not understand. Death comes to him by shell or shelling… Or he comes slowly, for a wound he does not find a medicine… Or for hunger, he does not find food,” he concluded.
Jordanian King Abdullah II expressed his anger and sadness at the acts of violence that targeted innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel.
“The violent bombing campaign in Gaza is a collective punishment of a besieged and helpless population,” he said, calling it a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime.”
The Jordanian monarch noted, “the more brutal the events become, the less attention the world seems to be getting.”
He stressed that the priority now is “to immediately stop the war on Gaza, protect civilians, and adopt a unified position condemning their targeting by both sides, in line with our common values and international law, which loses all its value if implemented selectively.”
“The second priority is the sustainable and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, fuel, food, and medicine to the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned of attempts and operations to expel and displace Palestinians from Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. He stressed: “We will not accept displacement, and will remain steadfast on our land no matter the challenges.”
Abbas condemned the Israeli “barbaric aggression” on the Gaza Strip and called for an immediate cessation. He also called for opening humanitarian corridors to allow the entry of food, medicine, and other necessities into the besieged Gaza Strip. He warned of attempts to displace the Palestinian people in Gaza and said: “We will not leave, we will not leave, we will stay in our land.”
Abbas urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people and convene an international peace conference on the conflict in the Middle East.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long-standing. He said the broader context of these tragic events, such as the 75 years of occupation with no end in sight, cannot be ignored.
He pointed out that the summit is being held in the heart of a region suffering from pain, a step away from the abyss, and in an area where it is impossible not to be shaken by the images of suffering that break the heart and burn the soul.
Guterres said that he witnessed a humanitarian disaster happening in real-time during his visit to the Rafah border crossing on Friday. He said two million people on the other side of the border without water, food, fuel, electricity, and medicines, including children, mothers, and older people.
“There is nothing that can justify the attack launched by Hamas, and such attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed: “The EU’s keenness to support humanitarian efforts and the delivery of aid to the Palestinians.”
He added: “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure this conflict does not spread. This is the main goal of the Cairo Summit.”
Michel concluded: “It is necessary to make all efforts for a sustainable solution according to the two-state solution. All countries here must support the Palestinian Authority, which represents the legitimate aspirations and demands of the Palestinian people.”
He also said that we are now in a context where the Palestinian people suffer from difficulties, divisions, and responsibilities. He said we must join forces and try to establish peace and stability in the region, adhere to these values, and respect international law.
The Cairo Peace Summit on Saturday aims to end the war between Israel and Hamas, which has entered its third week.
The summit coincides with the entry of the first aid trucks into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing in North Sinai, Egypt.
