Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged for the Security Council to assume its responsibilities in ending the war on the Gaza Strip, highlighting the danger of some countries cutting off their support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as collective punishment impacting innocent Palestinians.
This came during Sisi’s reception of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in the presence of Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Major General Abbas Kamel, the Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova at al-Ittihadeya Presidential Palace on Sunday.
President Sisi appreciated the Secretary-General’s position on the ongoing crisis, his eagerness to adhere to the principles of international and humanitarian laws, and his continued work to urge the international community to reach a ceasefire and protect civilians.
Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said that the meeting discussed many international and regional issues, with a focus on developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Egypt’s crucial role
President Sisi reviewed intensified efforts made to reach an immediate ceasefire, exchange detainees, and implement humanitarian aid whether by land in coordination with the relevant UN agencies, or through airdrops, especially to the areas north of Gaza Strip.
The UN Secretary-General expressed his great appreciation for Egypt’s regional role as a pivotal pillar of stability.
He praised Egypt’s efforts to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and its desire to keep the Rafah land port open continuously since the start of the current crisis.
Guterres also praised what he saw during his visit to Rafah border crossing, of a huge Egyptian effort to lead and manage the process of delivering aid to the people of Gaza.
What the UN can do
Sameh Shoukry stated that the UN plays a major role in alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, and that all of the organization’s agencies, including UNRWA and the World Food Program, play key roles in this regard.
Shoukry said during the joint press conference with Guterres that the Arab countries are working to push for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
He explained that the Arab Peace Initiative addresses a comprehensive vision for establishing the Palestinian state and normalization, and that negotiations with US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, touched on the need to prevent the displacement of Palestinians and assign the administration of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority.
