At D-8 summit, Sisi says vision for ‘day after’ in Gaza must include establishing Palestinian state

CAIRO – 19 December 2024: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said a successful vision for the “day after” the Gaza war must be based on the establishment of a contagious Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He made the remarks during a session dedicated for discussing the humanitarian crises and reconstruction in Gaza and Lebanon as part of the 11th summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) held in Cairo on Thursday.

The summit brings together leaders of Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as Azerbaijan’s prime minister, Nigeria’s foreign minister, Malaysia’s higher education minister, and chiefs of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

In his speech, Sisi stated that the incidents in the Palestinian territories since October 2023 have surpassed all boundaries of international and humanitarian norms.

He underlined that Palestinian casualties during the Gaza war have exceeded 45,000 martyrs and 107,000 injured individuals, with most of the casualties being women and children, while 1.9 million people have been displaced.

The Israeli violations also extended to include international employees who were killed while performing their work, Sisi said.

Furthermore, more than 70% of the infrastructure in Gaza has been damaged, Sisi emphasized. Poverty, unemployment and hunger rates reached catastrophic levels ranging from 80% to 100%, with more than 90% of the population of the enclave expected to suffer from severe food shortages.

The violations also extended to include the residents of the West Bank and East Jerusalem who are suffering from the expansion of settlement activities, settler violence and military incursions into West Bank cities, Sisi stated.

The president reiterated Egypt’s acknowledgment of the centrality of the role of UNRWA to provide the necessary support to the Palestinian people.

He underlined that the right of return for the Palestinian people will not lapse with the passage of time.

Sisi emphasized the necessity of reaching an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, and lifting the Israeli obstacles to humanitarian access, in order to pave the way for post-war arrangements.

Sisi emphasized Egypt’s rejection of any scenarios that aim to liquidate the Palestinian cause, whether through the displacement of Palestinians or by separating Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The president shed light on the challenges facing the region presently, setting that Egypt will spare no effort in supporting Arabic and Islamic nations to preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The ongoing events in the region have become a clear testimony to the world's experience of double standards, clearance of the essence of human principles and values, and the marginalization of international law rules,” Sisi stated.

He also shed light on the blatant violations of Syria’s sovereignty amid Israel's recent seizure of more Syrian territories and attacks on Syrian lands. He also expressed objection to Israeli unilateral announcement to cancel the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

 

Sisi spotlighted the Israeli aggression on Lebanon which killed more than 4,000 people, including women and children, and injured over 16,000 others, while displacing 1.2 million individuals.

The resident called for concerted international efforts to mobilize the funding necessary for reconstruction of Lebanon, highlighting that international estimates indicate that Lebanon needs at least about $5 billion for reconstruction.

Egypt also stressed the importance of the full and non-selective implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, while enabling the Lebanese army to extend its control over all Lebanese territories.

The president reaffirmed Egypt’s full commitment to supporting the Lebanese people in order to complete the nation’s constitutional entitlements and the election of a president through national consensus and within Lebanon’s sovereignty.