Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Osama Abdelkhalek, warned against the failure to implement the clauses of the Sharm El-Sheikh peace agreement aimed at cementing the ceasefire and achieving regional stability.
Addressing a Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East on Thursday, Ambassador Abdelkhalek described the summit as a “decisive historical step to turn the page on a painful, winless war and begin a new chapter embodying the international community’s collective will to achieve peace in the Middle East.”
He affirmed Egypt’s determination to continue intensive efforts to support the implementation of the war termination agreement, cautioning against the “extremely serious repercussions of failing to adhere strictly to what was agreed upon in Sharm El-Sheikh.” He urged all parties to fulfill their pledges regarding the ceasefire arrangements and ensuring the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid in quantities that meet the needs of the Palestinians.
The Ambassador noted that Egypt, in cooperation with the United Nations and regional and international partners, will host an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza next November to mobilize necessary support for rebuilding efforts.
He stressed Egypt’s condemnation of the Israeli Knesset’s approval of two draft laws aimed at imposing so-called Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
He considered this a “blatant violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy,” which have for decades condemned all Israeli measures seeking to alter the demographic composition and legal character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Abdelkhalek highlighted Egypt’s welcome for the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed international law’s rejection of any attempts to displace or starve the Palestinian people, emphasizing that this marks an important step in supporting legitimate Palestinian rights.
He concluded by stressing the inevitability of empowering the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, foremost among them the right to establish their independent state. Achieving peace in the region, he noted, requires Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories. Ambassador Abdelkhalek also reiterated Egypt’s solidarity with Syria and Lebanon in protecting their legitimate rights and preserving their territories.
