By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, a spokesman and director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said that Minister Sameh Shoukry participated with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Belgium in the discussion session entitled “Towards stability and peace in the Middle East: Challenges of de-escalation”, which was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The official spokesman for the Foreign Ministry revealed that the Foreign Minister stressed in his speech during the session the dangers of the collapse of the humanitarian system in the Gaza Strip, and the legal, humanitarian and political responsibility borne by the international community within the framework of the relevant international resolutions in order to facilitate the full, safe and sustainable enforcement of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, including Security Council Resolution No. 2720, stressing the need to intensify international movements in order to activate the work of the UN mechanism established under the Security Council resolution to facilitate, monitor and coordinate the process of entering aid, as well as remove Israeli obstacles to achieve the full implementation of the provisions of the resolution.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid stated that Minister Shukri also denounced the inability of the international community to stop the inhumane war waged by Israel against the population of the Gaza Strip, in total disregard and flagrant violation of all provisions of international humanitarian law, noting that Israeli practices to create an uninhabited sector for life in Gaza, and attempts to implement forced displacement against Palestinians from their lands or liquidation of the Palestinian cause, all directly threaten the foundations of stability in the region.
In a related context, the Foreign Minister warned of the serious consequences of any military operations in the city of Rafah – the last resort of about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians – and their repercussions that go beyond the limits of humanitarian concepts and international laws, noting that the occurrence of such a scenario would affect Egyptian national security, and lead to irreparable damage to peace and security in the Middle East.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that Minister Shukry addressed the current challenges faced by the region as a result of increased tensions against the background of the Israeli war against Gaza, including in the Lebanese arena, and in Iraq, and threats to the security of navigation in the Red Sea, pointing to the need to reduce the crisis in Gaza and a ceasefire, enforce calm and exchange detainees as soon as possible, and prevent the expansion of the circle of violence and conflict to other parts of the region.
The Foreign Minister concluded his speech by pointing to Egypt’s involvement in many discussions aimed at resolving this crisis at its roots, and achieving peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the region, stressing that a comprehensive peace will only be achieved through the implementation of the two-state solution, and the establishment of an independent, territorially connected and viable Palestinian state, on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
