The Minister of Foreign Affairs to the diplomatic editors: The Cairo ministers regarding Gaza succeeded by all standards
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdel Ati, confirmed that the Cairo Ministerial Conference to enhance the humanitarian response in Gaza was successful by all standards, noting that in all interventions and meetings during and on the sidelines of the conference’s work, there was a message of appreciation to His Excellency President Abdel Ati. Al-Fattah Al-Sisi for his leadership of the conference by placing it under his auspices and for the role played by His Excellency and the Egyptian state in providing relief and support to the Palestinian people.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said – In a meeting with the diplomatic editors – “70 percent of the aid that has entered the Gaza Strip since October 7 is from the money of the Egyptian people and the Egyptian government, and therefore everyone praises and expresses their appreciation and praise for the efforts of President Sisi and the Egyptian role.”
The Foreign Minister added" The conference achieved success, explaining that its holding under the auspices of President Sisi and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres played an important role in its success. He reviewed the indicators of the conference’s success, especially the size of effective participation, as an invitation was directed to a selected group, but we had to expand the size of participation based on The request of countries, organizations and bodies that wished to participate reached 102 delegations.
Dr. Abdel-Ati highlighted the high-level participation in the conference – which was held throughout the day yesterday – This is reflected in the presence of many foreign ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers, pointing to the participation of delegations from Latin American countries that were keen to attend and support the Palestinian people, in addition to their appreciative positions, whether Brazil, Colombia, Chile, or others.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also referred to the high-level participation of regional and international organizations, where the leadership of the United Nations attended without exception, including UNRWA, OCHA, UN Women, FAO, the World Food Program and the United Nations Development Programme. He also assigned the Secretary-General of the United Nations United Nations First Representative, Ms. Amina Muhammad, participated, which reflects appreciation for Egypt and the Egyptian leadership.
Dr. Abdel-Ati stressed the importance of the participation of Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa within the framework of Egyptian support for the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian leadership in these circumstances and circumstances, especially in light of The systematic keenness to weaken the Palestinian Authority.
The Minister also stressed the importance of the timing of the conference to refocus once again on the humanitarian catastrophe taking place in the Gaza Strip and on the Palestinian issue because, unfortunately, due to the repeated aggression and killing, it may become The matter is routine, and therefore it is necessary to “not normalize the tragedy,” and to emphasize that killing and slaughter is not a natural thing, but rather an anomaly and reflects a blatant violation of international law. It is also necessary to emphasize the centrality of the Palestinian issue and that there is no military solution and that the core of the conflict in the region is the Palestinian issue. Pointing out the importance of the timing of holding the conference before the new administration takes office in the United States.
He said that all delegations stressed the importance of the role of UNRWA. Because its destruction is a primary goal of eliminating the refugee issue, as UNRWA It was established for a fundamental reason, which is the relief and employment of refugees, and in accordance with Resolution 194 of the United Nations General Assembly, which stipulates the right of return or the right to compensation. Therefore, UNRWA’s participation in the conference is an affirmation of its position and that there is no alternative to it, especially in light of the systematic Israeli policies that consider UNRWA unjust and slanderous. – “A terrorist organization.” He stressed the importance of the messages of the Cairo Ministerial Conference to preserve the Palestinian issue and not liquidate it… highlighting the emphasis during all interventions on the categorical rejection of displacement, because displacement is the complete liquidation of the issue.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the importance of the Egyptian role appreciated by everyone. He said, “We feel satisfied with the achievements that were achieved during the conference, including those related to the pledges, with the hope that if we succeed in reaching an immediate ceasefire and removing the reasons that prevent the operation of the Rafah crossing, and through the Israeli withdrawal from the crossing from the Palestinian side and from the Philadelphia axis, This will make us in dire need of huge amounts of aid, and there will be coordination of the response to the humanitarian disaster in the Strip in the hope of reaching a ceasefire and ensuring full access. “For aid.”
He explained that we will have an immediate response because the international community has become aware of the nature of the needs, and this is the most important point in this conference, as the working organizations participated in it, led by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society, which plays a very important role in coordinating Aid on the ground… Pointing to the presentation made by the Acting Director General of the Egyptian Red Crescent, and also the presentation made by the Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent during the conference, which was very important because the member states listened to their perception of the required needs, especially with regard to Not only urgent humanitarian and medical aid, but also early recovery projects that will be present, including needs related to drinking water, health and sanitation, and therefore the interventions of the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescents and organizations such as OCHA, UNRWA and the rest of the other relief organizations working on the ground at the conference were very important for things to work out. It is clear to the international community, and therefore, any time we reach a ceasefire agreement, there will be an immediate response given the pressing and urgent need for the earth. In response to a question about whether specific amounts for aid had been reached during the conference, the Foreign Minister said: There are many announcements, and the numbers are promising, and we are collecting everything and it will be announced at the right time.”
Regarding the double standards and the inability of the international community.. the Foreign Minister said, “ The solution to this matter is through there being political will, and one standard being applied to everyone, and if there is a state that systematically violates international law, it must be held accountable, and this is very clear that we cannot assume that there is a state above the law because that will encourage and motivate Other countries must take the law into their own hands, and therefore we apply the law of the jungle, not international law and international humanitarian law. Therefore, there must be political will, and this depends on the major countries. The Western countries, which are present in the Security Council, have An authority that can impose its will by having a price for any violation of human rights and international law. This must have a price, and any evasion of accountability cannot be accepted as a result of the blatant violations that have been committed. In response to a question about the presence of two delegations from Hamas and Fatah in Cairo, and whether they would accept the return of the Palestinian National Authority to Gaza again, Dr. Badr Abdel Ati said, “The position is completely clear and certainly that the Palestinian National Authority is the legitimate authority, and the Gaza Strip is an integral part.” Of the Palestinian state, and therefore if we are talking about the organic unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, then it is first and natural that certainly the Palestinian National Authority is the legitimate authority, which is something It is very important and represents the legitimate and official position, which we are working to embody on the ground.”
Regarding the Cairo Ministerial Conference to Strengthen the Humanitarian Response in Gaza…the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that there is consensus and agreement in positions on the part of all participating countries and organizations. In this conference, we will focus on the Egyptian vision regarding working towards an immediate ceasefire and full access to aid. This will be linked to three issues. The first is certainly the immediate response to urgent needs. There is starvation and certainly politics. Starvation is being implemented on the ground, and therefore, before October 7, more than 700 trucks were entering per day, but today no more than 40, 50, or 60 trucks are entering, and therefore this is not enough at all, and there is already famine in the Gaza Strip…pointing out to Full access to aid means that there will be a direct response to the needs on the ground, highlighting the very severe shortage of drinking water and sanitation equipment, and there is also a need Massa for medicines and health services. All of these are early recovery projects along with urgent aid, which is required immediately now, once a ceasefire is reached. This paves the way for and establishes another phase, and certainly the reconstruction phase. There are already existing studies, and there is an international desire to help in This is a great effort, but everything depends on stopping the violence.
