Analysis: World pinning hopes on Egyptian role amid Israel-Gaza escalation

CAIRO - 9 October 2023: Early on Saturday, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and the capture of dozens of hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by declaring a "state of war," and Israeli jets continued to carry out relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received phone calls from world leaders, who have expressed concerns over the ongoing escalation.

Egypt has called for tackling the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by backing the path of calm and advancing efforts of settling the Palestinian cause.

 

Photo: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi follows up on developments in the Gaza Strip from the Strategic Crisis Management Center

This should be carried out in a comprehensive, fair and sustainable way on the basis of the two-state solution and related international references, Sisi said in a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday.

Meanwhile, FM Shoukry said Egypt has repeatedly warned of this painful scenario of escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides as a result of absence of fair settlement of the Palestinian cause.

Shoukry said that this scenario also comes as a result of the continuation of Israeli attacks as he made a phone call on Sunday with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani.

The world is pinning hopes on Egypt amid the ongoing conflict, three years after Cairo helped broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The ceasefire in 2021 put an end to a major 11-day fighting that claimed around 250 lives, mainly in Gaza. The Egyptian move was praised by world countries and international groupings.

In the coming lines, the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies sheds light on Egypt’s role in defending the Palestinian people’s rights over the past decades since the start of the Palestinian cause.

Resolving Palestinian cause

Over the past decade, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed on several occasions Egypt's continued diligent efforts towards the Palestinian cause.

Sisi highlighted Egypt’s commitment to exerting efforts to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Egypt has worked on unifying Arab and international efforts to revive the mechanisms involved in the peace process in Palestine, based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, on the borders of June 4, 1967.

Additionally, Egypt has been keen to end the state of division afflicting the Palestinian entity and to advance the national reconciliation process in order to build trust between Palestinian parties.

Egypt has repeatedly worked on halting the repercussions of Israeli army escalations against the Gaza Strip. These escalations have recently expanded to include several areas in the West Bank, including the Jenin camp.

However, the escalations against the Gaza Strip have always been the most significant and challenging to contain and stop, requiring Egypt to play a role to help achieving calm.

In May 2021, a conflict between Palestinian factions and Israel lasted for 11 days, killing more than 250 people. Egypt managed, after relentless efforts, to halt this escalation, which was the most violent in many years.

Egypt's success in this regard has led some Western parties, which were considering adopting an anti-Egyptian stance, to reconsider their position and acknowledge the importance and centrality of Egypt's role.

Additionally, major international powers, including the United States, have recognized the effectiveness of Egypt's role in this crisis.

US President Joe Biden expressed his sincere gratitude to President Sisi and the mediation team he formed for their crucial role in the diplomatic track of this crisis.

Egypt has not only focused on efforts to halt the escalation and fighting. Relief and reconstruction tasks also remain an integral part of this effort.

In addition to the regular convoys of Egyptian aid passing through the Rafah crossing, Egypt pledged following the 2021 escalation to engage more extensively in the field of reconstructing the Gaza Strip.

Egypt allocated half a billion dollars for this purpose, which significantly expands Egypt's role in the Palestinian file.

Amid the ongoing conflict, Egypt is leading intensive diplomatic efforts to prevent an open confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis during the ongoing confrontation in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt has warned of the grave risks of the current escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, following a series of attacks on Palestinian cities.

The Egyptian presidency has been in contact with several international parties over the past two days, including presidents of Arab and European countries and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Also, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has held consultations with Arab and European foreign ministers as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to stress the importance of ending escalation and achieving calm.