Egypt’s president, Saudi crown prince urge int’l focus on ending Gaza escalation

CAIRO – 11 November 2023: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for all regional and international efforts to focus on ending the escalation and violence in Gaza, the Egyptian Presidency said.

This aims to protect civilians and to prevent the loss of more lives and the situation from spiraling out of control, they affirmed during a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh.

The two leaders expressed enormous concern regarding the successive and grave deterioration of events.

They categorically rejected the idea of ​​displacing Palestinians, which would completely liquidate the Palestinian cause.

The two leaders agreed on the crucial need to hold intensive consultations and close coordination between Egypt and Saudi Arabia to confirm the Arab-Islamic vision on the Palestinian issue, particularly in light of the outcomes emanating from the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit.

Those outcomes revolve around achieving a comprehensive and just settlement for the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, in accordance with the terms of reference of international legitimacy, the Presidency said.

سمو #ولي_العهد يلتقي رئيس جمهورية #مصر العربية، وذلك على هامش انعقاد القمة العربية الإسلامية المشتركة غير العادية.#قمة_عربية_إسلامية_بالسعودية pic.twitter.com/kr28y7fpKT

— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) November 11, 2023

The final statement of the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit called on all countries to halt the export of weapons and ammunition to Israel in light of the war in Gaza.

The leaders condemned the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the brutal and inhuman war crimes and massacres committed by Israel.

The joint statement called for the United Nations Security Council to take a decisive and binding resolution that imposes a cessation of aggression and restrains the power of the colonial occupation authority that violates international law, international humanitarian law, and international legitimacy resolutions.

The statement rejected describing this retaliatory war as self-defense or justifying it under any pretext.

The statement also called for breaking the siege on Gaza and ensuring the entry of Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian aid convoys.