Egypt rejects Israeli displacement policy, Palestinian cause liquidation at neighbouring states' expense

Ahram Online , Sunday 15 Oct 2023

Egypt's National Security Council, chaired by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, convened on Sunday to review military escalation in the Gaza Strip, firmly rejecting the Israeli displacement policy of Palestinians.

Sisi
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi presided-over a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Presidency

 

The council stressed that the "two-state solution is the only resolution to the Palestinian cause while rejecting and deploring the policy of displacement or attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause at the expense of neighboring countries," a statement by the Egyptian Presidency read.

The council also highlighted the Egyptian national security as a "red line that will not be compromised."

As per decisions issued by the council, Egypt has extended invitations for an international regional summit to address the developments and future of the Palestinian cause.

Egypt will also continue communications with international and regional partners to achieve de-escalation and to ensure ceasing the targeting of civilians, the council decided.

The council highlighted Egypt's readiness to "exert all efforts to achieve calm as well as to launch and resume a real peace process."

The National Security Council was established in 2014 to endorse national security strategies, protect the state's sovereignty and independence, and maintain its regional and international position.

The council is chaired by the country's president, with its members including the intelligence chief, and the ministers of defense, interior, and foreign affairs.

In the past week, Egypt has called for an end to Israeli bombardments in Gaza, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinian civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Cairo has also cautioned against Israeli calls for residents in northern Gaza to leave their homes and travel to the southern strip, which shares a border with Egypt, in anticipation of a planned ground invasion.

While an Israeli military spokesman advised Gazans to head to Egypt last week, Egyptian security sources have warned about the resurgence of a frequently proposed Israeli scheme to resettle Gazans in Sinai.

These sources emphasized Egypt's rejection of such historically and politically questionable proposals.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has expressed concern that repeated Israeli orders for Gaza residents to move south could put over a million Palestinians at risk of homelessness, facing dire humanitarian and security conditions.

Furthermore, President El-Sisi stated last week that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip must "stay steadfast and remain on their land". He cautioned against the liquidation of the Palestinian cause in this context, underscoring Egypt's commitment to alleviating the burdens faced by the Palestinians.

Egypt is coordinating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, with aircraft from various countries arriving at Sinai's El-Arish Airport for delivery to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

However, Shoukry noted in an interview with CNN on Saturday that the Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing have rendered it inoperable.

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