Egypt, France, Jordan unite in urgent call for Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution

CAIRO – 30 March 2024: In a joint press conference in Cairo on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and emphasized the crucial need to implement the two-state solution as a pathway to lasting regional peace.

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry underlined the need for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered aid delivery to more than two million people in the strip.

The Egyptian foreign minister emphasized that the international community continues to apply unfair standards when it comes to the rights of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné stressed that France wants a cessation of military operations in Gaza as called for by the resolution recently adopted by the United Nations Security Council.

He stressed that France wants to move forward with its political efforts at the Security Council in this regard over the coming weeks.

Séjourné warned that the ongoing tragedy in Gaza does not serve the security of Israel and Israeli people.

For his part, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan Ayman Safadi said their meeting reflected the current position of the international community, which urges a ceasefire in Gaza.

The meeting has also echoed global demands for boosting aid deliveries and refraining from the use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians, Safadi noted.

He added, however, that Israeli has continued its aggression in Gaza, killing more innocent people and destroying the entire Gaza community.

Safadi said Israel must face the consequences of its actions.

“If Israel challenges the entire world, then the world must take practical and effective steps to stop this madness, killing, and destruction,” Safadi stated.

Objecting Rafah invasion

Meanwhile, Shoukry said he and both the Jordanian and French foreign ministers have warned of the dangers of carrying out any operation in Rafah, which hosts a large number of Palestinians, including women and children.

He reiterated Egypt’s firm rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their territory or the elimination of the Palestinian cause by any means.

Séjourné stated that France strongly opposes any military action in Rafah.

The French foreign minister also expressed concerns about the conflict spillover, warning that any large-scale confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon will result in losses that everyone will have to bear.

Two-state solution ‘only solution’

Shoukry highlighted the need for adopting a comprehensive political framework between Israeli and Palestinian sides based on the two-state solution.

“The current events in Gaza are a reflection of the neglect of the Palestinian people's suffering over the course of decades,” Shoukry stated.

Séjourné also noted that the two-state solution is the only track capable of ensuring security and stability for Israelis and Palestinians.

The French foreign minister emphasized that everything that facilitates this process must be activated.

Meanwhile, Safadi warned that the future will be worse if injustice and occupation persist and just and comprehensive peace is not achieved based on the two-state solution.

Safadi said the two-state solution will fulfill all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to freedom, statehood, and dignity, and achieve security and peace in the region.

“We face unacceptable Israeli obstinacy and arrogance in rejecting the two-state solution and refusing to find any political horizon,” Safadi said.

Unblocking aid

Safadi called for international effective steps to prevent the deaths of children who cannot find formulas as well as men and women due to the lack of food in light of the war.

“What prevents the provision of food and medicine to the Palestinian people in Gaza? It is a political decision by an extremist government that has chosen to use starvation as a weapon,” Safadi stressed.

The Jordanian foreign minister stated that the famine threat faced by the people of Gaza can be swiftly addressed in case Israel opens the land crossings to allow aid to enter from Egypt and Jordan and stops blocking aid.

Safadi called for halting the supply of weapons to Israel.

He urged enforceable decisions in the Security Council to impose an end to this aggression and protect innocent lives from dying of hunger.

Séjourné called for the opening of all land crossings between Gaza and Israel immediately and unconditionally.

He affirmed that Israel is capable of allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza in large quantities without any obstacles or restrictions.

Until now, the war in Gaza has killed 32,705 people, injured 75,190 others, most of whom are women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.

The unrelenting strikes also destroyed the strip’s infrastructure and left at least a quarter of the population facing the danger of famine.