Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration and Expatriate Affairs and his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Al-Safadi, have warned against the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli war since 7 October.
Abdelatty and his Jordanian counterpart agreed in their talks, held in Cairo, on the importance of continuing efforts to pressure regional and international partners and the international community into acting seriously, per Security Council resolutions (the latest being 2735), to stop the ongoing violence instead of merely condemning Israeli violations and aggression.
‘The catastrophic humanitarian and health situation in Gaza highlights the importance of unconditional and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid amidst blatant violations of international humanitarian law that prevent the delivery of such aid,’ Abdel Attey said.
Both ministers confirmed their complete rejection of Israeli control over the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, which h
as completely hindered the delivery of aid to the innocent Palestinian people who bear heavy burdens and face systematic aggression.
The Egyptian foreign minister also emphasized Egypt and Jordan’s complete rejection of Israel’s systematic policies to impose a new reality on Palestinians by forcing them to flee to displace them from their lands and homes and ultimately liquidate the Palestinian cause.
‘This threatens the principle of land for peace and the idea of a Palestinian homeland and state,’ Abdelatty said.
The two ministers also discussed the catastrophic situation in the West Bank, where Palestinians, according to Abdelatty, are subjected to systemic violence perpetrated by settler gangs who terrorize the Palestinians in the West Bank.
Furthermore, Abdelatty commended Jordan for nobly protecting and upholding the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem, stressing that the legal and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque must be respected.
UNRWA
He also highlig
hted the significant and indispensable role UNRWA plays, stressing the cardinal importance of providing UNRWA with every form of assistance, per the General Assembly’s resolution, to enable it to perform its noble task.
Moreover, Abdelatty affirmed that providing humanitarian relief should not be used as a political tool and that every attempt at applying double standards to this issue should be thwarted.
Abdelatty and Al-Safadi also agreed to continue joint efforts to encourage international parties to recognize the Palestinian state, arguing that such a step sends a positive message to the Palestinian people and raises their hope of establishing an independent state within the borders of 4 June 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Lebanon
Similarly, the Egyptian and Jordanian ministers also discussed the danger of potential escalation that could lead to a comprehensive war in the region.
Both sides emphasized the utmost importance of maintaining Lebanon’s security and stability against any risks of esc
alation that could drag the region into the throes of a comprehensive war.
According to Abdelatty, the two ministers also discussed the trilateral cooperation between Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq as a model for joint Arab action.
Jordanian Stances
For his part, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi described the situation in Gaza as constituting an unprecedented war crime in modern history.
Al-Safadi added that humanitarian relief aid to Gaza has significantly diminished. He highlighted that while a few hundred relief aid trucks passed into Gaza at the beginning of the crisis, now no more than 40 trucks cross intermittently into Gaza from Egypt and a similar number from Jordan.
Al-Safadi attributed such hindrance of humanitarian relief trucks to Israel’s obstruction of entry, failure to provide a safe environment for UN organizations and occupation of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.
Furthermore, he said no organization could take on the role of UNRWA and that the agency had been target
ed as part of a political assassination by the occupation authorities before the events of 7 October.
Al-Safadi warned that by eliminating the agency, the Israelis aim to liquidate the Palestinian cause and abolish the refugee issue to forestall any attempts by the refugees to return and any obligation to compensate them.
He stressed that the international community must act in conformity with international law and our shared humanity by taking effective measures to stop Israel’s aggression and its war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Al-Safadi concluded by emphasizing that the issue of the displacement of Palestinians is a red line for Jordan and Egypt, adding that the two countries categorically reject the displacement of Palestinians outside or within Palestinian lands.
Source: State Information Service Egypt