Saudi Arabia – The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, affirmed their rejection of Israel’s invasion of the Palestinian city of Rafah, adjacent to Egypt’s borders.
This came during a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, which is being hosted by the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today and tomorrow, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
According to the statement, Shukri and Borrell were keen to “exchange assessments and the results of their contacts with various regional and international parties to end the war in Gaza and put an end to the humanitarian tragedy experienced by the residents of the Strip.”
Borrell was also keen to “learn from the Egyptian Foreign Minister about the developments in the ongoing negotiations between the faction movement and Israel to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the exchange of detainees and hostages, as well as enhancing the access of humanitarian aid into the Strip.”
The statement stated that the two sides reaffirmed their position rejecting Israel launching a ground military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Strip.
Israel insists on invading Rafah, claiming that it is “the last stronghold of the factional movement,” despite increasing international warnings of catastrophic repercussions, in light of the presence of about 1.4 million displaced people there.
In this regard, Shukri stressed “the importance of the European Union and international actors moving to put pressure on Israel to prevent this military operation, and to stop any attempts to implement the scenario of forced displacement of the people of the Gaza Strip or liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
According to the Egyptian statement, “The two sides agreed to continue close consultation during the coming days to push towards ending the war in the Gaza Strip, and to launch a serious and effective political process for a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive infrastructure destruction, which led to Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide.”
Anatolia
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2024-04-30 08:21:12