Egypt rejects Israeli settlement expansion intended to sabotage two-state solution: FM

CAIRO – 23 November 2024: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty warned against Israeli continued expansion of settlement in the West Bank in a phone call on Saturday with Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot.

Abdelatty stressed that these practices by Israel aim to eliminate the components necessary for establishing a Palestinian state and achieving a two-state solution, an approach that Egypt rejects, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The foreign minister warned of the danger of the ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Abdelatty highlighted Egypt's continued intensive efforts with regional and international partners to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, considering it the primary key to achieving de-escalation in the region.

The Egyptian foreign minister also emphasized the importance of increasing the international humanitarian response to the needs of Palestinians in Gaza, given the current humanitarian disaster in the enclave.

Abdelatty highlighted the serious violations of international law and humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and their obstruction of humanitarian aid access.

The war in Gaza has been ongoing since October 2023, with Israeli forces killing 44,176 Palestinians to date and injuring nearly 104,500 others to date, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The war also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says humanitarian situation for civilians in Gaza is “increasingly dire” with families struggling amid severe shortages of food, safe water, medical supplies, and shelter.

The ICRC added in a report in November that nearly the entire population in the enclave also lacks access to safe and effective healthcare.