Egypt is only foreign state allowed to intervene in Palestinian affairs: Palestinian ambassador to Cairo

CAIRO – 24 May 2021: Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh said in a TV interview Sunday that Egypt is the only foreign state that has the right to intervene in Palestinian affairs, as reported by Youm7.

The ambassador pointed out that Egypt has offered hundreds of martyrs since 1948 over several wars to back Palestinians. He added that during the recent crisis, the Egyptian Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs formed a diplomatic front on the international scale to end the Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip.

The ambassador underlined a statement by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi whereas he said that Egypt is a partner to Palestine and never solely a mediator. Louh underscored that there is continuous consultation and coordination between Egypt and Ramallah on the presidential, intelligence, and foreign ministries levels.

Louh pointed out that the damage caused by the last Israeli aggression surpasses that incurred by any other strikes launched since 2006. That is because the road network has been completely destroyed as well as 60 percent of the electricity network in addition to the damages in wastewater and water supply networks.

"Thousands of houses in Gaza have no access to electricity now. Further, 100,000 Palestinian citizens lost their homes and properties, and even their identification documents. Those need a great help from the Palestinian authority and other countries," the ambassador said encouraging Arab states to follow suit of Egypt, which had committed $500 million to the reconstruction of Gaza Strip.

"It is true that the Palestinian Authority has not declared Gaza Strip a disaster area but it is, given the almost full destruction of the area by the Israeli forces," Louh noted.

The ambassador said that Palestinians want to have their own state, which has to be connected geographically having as capital Eastern Jerusalem on the borders of June 4, 1967. Louh stressed that it is not acceptable to declare a state in either of Gaza Strip or the West Bank without the other. He added that localizing Palestinian refugees in any other spot in the world is refutable either. The ambassador said that there are currently 6.5 million Palestinian refugees, and that those must return and get compensated.

Louh highlighted that the Palestinian Authority is deploying efforts to stop stripping Palestinians of their homes in Jerusalem to replace them with Israeli settlers, and to end assaults by Israeli forces against worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque.

Louh added that also Egypt and the United States want to bring Israeli violations in Jerusalem to a halt to create a horizon for reaching a settlement to the conflict saying that U.S. President Joe Biden supports the two-state solution.

The ambassador highlighted that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejects any unilateral sponsorship of the peace talks and negotiations as he always aims for a quartet sponsorship including the United States, the European Union (EU), the United Nations, and Russia.

On May 7, clashes began between Israeli forces in the West Bank and Jerusalem and civilians as the latter were protesting forced displacement, particularly from Sheikh Jarrah in Eastern Jerusalem, and assaults on worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque. And, on May 10-20, Israel shelled and carried out airstrikes against Gaza Strip. The violence and aggression across Palestinian territories incurred 243 deaths, including 66 children, and 6,039 injuries, as reported by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).

In Gaza Strip where most deaths occurred, injuries stood at 1,910. In the West Bank, 441 Palestinian protesters were shot with live rounds, and 172 were shot with rubber-coated bullets among other injuries caused by tear gas, and beating up. As for Palestinians who got detained in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the figure is 850.

The strikes also caused the destruction of more than 2,000 residential units in Gaza Strip while 15,000 others were partially damaged, according to AP. As a consequence, 50,000 Palestinians fled from the North to the South of Gaza Strip.

Further, 31 educational establishments, including schools, colleges, and vocational training centers were demolished.

On the other hand, Magen David Agom announced that since the beginning of the "Fence Guardian" operation on May 10, 675 Israelis got injured. Moreover, the Israeli Army announced that 12 Israelis got killed, including two children, two women, and a soldier.

On May 15, the Israeli forces struck a number of towers in Gaza Strip. One of those housed the offices of a number of media outlets.

On May 14, power went off in most areas of Gaza Strip because of the Israeli aggression carried out not just from land and air but also from sea as Israeli battleships struck the shores of Shatea El Sudaneya northern Gaza.