According to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, Abdelatty said that establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions remains essential for regional stability. He also urged the international community to stop Israel's military escalation in the West Bank and halt settler attacks on Palestinians, condemning continued settlement expansion.
Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank has reached its highest level since at least 2017, according to a recent report by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres. The report stated that plans for nearly 47,390 housing units were advanced, approved, or tendered in 2025, compared to approximately 26,170 in 2024.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, with Israeli forces or settlers killing at least 1,022 Palestinians since October 2023.
The two ministers also discussed developments in Gaza, with Abdelatty stressing the need to sustain the ceasefire—brokered by Cairo, Doha, Ankara, and Washington, D.C., and signed on 10 October in Egypt's Red Sea resort city, Sharm El-Sheikh—and move forward with commitments under the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan.
However, the ceasefire is fragile. Since it began, Israeli forces have killed at least 367 Palestinians in repeated violations of the truce, adding to the more than 70,000 Palestinians killed since the start of the war, most of them women and children. More than 170,000 others have been wounded.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel committed to allowing 600 aid trucks into Gaza daily. However, between 12 October and 7 December, an average of about 459 trucks per day entered the enclave, according to available data.
During the same period, Israeli forces expanded areas under their control in southern Gaza, moving beyond previously declared deployment lines. Troops have continued demolitions and intermittent fire across the central and southern parts of the strip.
Abdelatty called for the implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2803 and the deployment of a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to monitor the ceasefire, protect civilians, and facilitate the transfer of law-enforcement responsibilities to Palestinian forces.
Egypt has repeatedly said that Gaza and the West Bank must remain a single territorial unit forming the basis of a future Palestinian state, rejecting any political or geographic separation between them.
It has also firmly rejected any forced or permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, which Israeli officials have advocated, describing such proposals as a “red line” that would violate international law and threaten regional stability.
Abdelatty and Cooper also discussed Sudan, with the Egyptian minister outlining Cairo’s diplomatic efforts, including engagement through the Quartet framework, to secure a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian access. He reiterated Egypt’s support for Sudan’s unity, stability, and national institutions.
The call also covered bilateral relations, with Abdelatty welcoming recent momentum in Egypt–UK ties and expressing Cairo’s interest in expanding cooperation across political, economic, trade, and investment sectors. He pointed to plans for a high-level economic forum bringing together major British companies, citing recent reforms aimed at improving Egypt’s investment climate.
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