Arab countries meeting in Egypt stress the need to achieve ceasefire in Gaza

Ahram Online , Thursday 21 Mar 2024

High officials from five Arab countries underscored in a meeting in Cairo on Thursday the urgent need to secure an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, enhance humanitarian aid access, and open all crossings between Israel and Gaza.

Gaza
L-R) Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Hussein Al-Sheikh, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photograph following a meeting in Cairo on March, 21, 2024. AFP

 

The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar, along with the Minister of State for International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates and the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In a joint statement issued following the meeting, the Arab officials emphasized the need to overcome the obstacles imposed by Israel by fully implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 2720 to meet the needs of over two million Palestinians in Gaza facing famine.

The participants also stressed fully supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and reiterated their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land or liquidate the Palestinian cause.

Furthermore, the Arab officials emphasized the need for Israel to cease all unilateral actions undermining prospects for a just peace, including settlement activities and those aimed at altering the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

They affirmed the importance of the Jordanian Hashemite Custodianship in protecting these sanctuaries and the inevitability of implementing the two-state solution and establishing the Palestinian state following international references, including the Saudi-proposed Arab Peace Initiative.

Earlier on Thursday, US Secretary of State Department Anthony Blinken arrived in Cairo on his sixth trip to the region since the start of the Israeli war against Gaza in October as part of the US efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

The five Arab officials are meeting with the US Secretary of State.

"The Arab countries will convey to Blinken their collective vision for the urgent need to halt the war in Gaza and address the catastrophic humanitarian situation," the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

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