Crisis in Palestine result of years of illegal Israeli occupation not 7 October incidents: Egypt

CAIRO – 27 September 2024: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty stated that the current crisis in the Palestinian territories is not a result of the incidents on October 7, 2023, but rather stems from Israeli practices aimed at establishing an illegitimate occupation, seizing lands from their rightful owners, and imposing a new demographic reality.

Abdelatty made the remarks during a ministerial meeting focused on the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution, held on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York.

Several Arab, Islamic, and European countries, along with the European Union, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), participated in the meeting.

In his address, Abdelatty emphasized the immediate need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and called on the international community to fulfill its responsibility in halting aggression against Palestine.

He stressed the importance of meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to liberation from occupation and the establishment of an independent, geographically contiguous, and viable state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abdelatty urged swift action by the international community to implement the two-state solution, emphasizing that this would contribute to security and stability in the region.

During the UNGA session, Abdelatty also participated in a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the primary policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Abdelatty highlighted the grave situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem due to killings by Israel, its expansion of settlements, and its allowance of violence by settlers against civilians.

He condemned these actions as undermining the prospects for a settlement based on the two-state solution.

Abdelatty called on the international community to hold Israel, as the occupying power, accountable for the violations suffered by the Palestinian people and to ensure unhindered access to humanitarian aid for them.

He also urged for economic and technical support to be provided to the Palestinian Authority to assist in implementing national plans and enhancing the capabilities of Palestinian institutions.

The foreign minister emphasized the significance of the Palestinian Authority's efforts as part of a broader context aimed at finalizing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.