CAIRO – 10 October 2023: Egypt has been always a major player when it comes to deescalating the Palestinian-Israeli tensions and confrontations that erupted throughout history, with a foreign policy and strategy that is based on preserving Egypt’s national security and strong commitment towards the Arabian countries and the Palestinian cause.
Among the unforgettable stances for Egypt, supporting Palestine, it’s efforts on May 2021, and August 2022 to avoid violence and stop the Palestinian bloodshed.
Also, Egypt has announced the Presidential Initiative for the Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following the May 2021 Israeli aggression at a total cost of $500 million.
Over the past five decades, the Egyptian leadership has been keen to find a legal basis for the establishment of a Palestinian state to be recognized by the United Nations and its member states, as well as by active regional and international organizations.
This comes as part of Egypt’s conviction that it would play major part in achieving just, comprehensive and lasting peace within the region.
Here are some of the steps of which Egypt has played major role in achieving it to support the Palestinian cause:
In 1962: Egypt supported the Palestinian declaration of a constitution in the Gaza Strip.
1970: Egypt accepted the ‘Rogers Plan’, as the initiative included the necessity of bringing peace to the region, and conducting negotiations under the supervision of the United Nations envoy to reach a final agreement on implementing the 242 Resolution, Including Israel’s withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967.
September 28, 1972: Late President Anwar Sadat was the first to propose the idea of establishing a temporary Palestinian government in response to Golda Meir, then Prime Minister of Israel, claim that the people of Palestine did not exist
1977: President Sadat announced his historic initiative and visited Israel, where he confirmed Egypt’s seriousness towards achieving the comprehensive peace, and spoke strongly about the Just and legitimate rights of Arabs and Palestinians.
June 1989: Former President Hosni Mubarak presented his ‘peace plan’, which included the necessity of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in accordance with Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of ‘land for peace’.
October 25, 1989: Egypt welcomed the US Secretary of State James Baker's Five-Point Plan, which stressed the necessity of holding a Palestinian-Israeli dialogue as a first step towards peace.
September 1993: Egypt participated in signing the Oslo Accords reached by the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
August 1995: Egypt played a prominent role until the Cairo Protocol was signed, which included the transfer of a number of powers to the Palestinian Authority
January 1997: As a result of Egyptian efforts, the Hebron Agreement was signed
December 1997: Egypt participated in the initiative presented by the Arab Group to the United Nations, which stipulates that Palestinian representation at the UN be raised from observer status to quasi-state.
May 1998: The Egyptian-French initiative was presented, with Presidents Mubarak and Chirac calling for holding an international conference to save the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
October 23, 1998: Egypt supported the Palestinian side in its demand to adhere to the “Wye River Memorandum” which they reached with Israel as an implementation of the Oslo Accords.
March 2001: Egypt and Jordan put forward an initiative to stop the violence and resume peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
June 6, 2002: Former President Hosni Mubarak proposed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to be declared in 2003, taking into consideration the implementation of the UN Resolution No. 1397. He called for the first time to the establishment of Palestinian state next to the Israeli one.
December 2003: Egypt supported the unofficial Geneva Document between Israelis and Palestinians as a balanced peace model that would end the conflict between the two sides.
June 2004: Egypt launched an initiative to play a direct role in preparing the atmosphere for the implementation of the ‘Israeli withdrawal plan’ from Gaza Strip, as Egypt considered that Israel’s withdrawal from any part of the Palestinian territories is a gain.
December 2008: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the negotiation process between Palestinians and Israelis should have a reasonable time frame.
February 1, 2009: Former President Mubarak told the US President then, Barack Obama that solving the Palestinian cause cannot tolerate postponement, and it aspires to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state.
September 26, 2008: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs clarified that the Egyptian efforts were focused on reaching a Palestinian- Palestinian consensus, to establish a technocratic government.
December 2008: Former Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Aboul Gheit confirmed that Egypt will continue its efforts to achieve reconciliation between all Palestinian factions.
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