The Presidency
“In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”
Your Highnesses and Excellencies,
The Heads of State and Government and participating delegations,
Your Excellency, Dr. Isiaka Abdul Qadir Imam,
Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation,
Ladies and gentlemen
We gather today at a time of great peril, as the Middle East is grappling with formidable threats. The ongoing events in the region are a demonstrable testament to the world’s double-standards, the erosion of human principles and values, and the marginalization of the rules of international law.
The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has been continuing for over a year, and has now extended to Lebanon. Moreover, Syria is enduring a brazen violation of its sovereignty, against the backdrop of Israel’s recent seizure of more Syrian territories, flagrant aggression on Syrian lands, and unilateral declaration of the annulment of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Egypt condemns these violations in the strongest terms, and reiterates its full and unshakable support of the unity, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Egypt also reaffirms its position in support of all efforts contributing to the success of a comprehensive and inclusive political process in Syria, with the engagement of all components and segments of the Syrian people, without any external dictations or interventions.
Your Highnesses and Excellencies,
The events and developments since October 2023, have defied all international and humanitarian boundaries and norms. The number of Palestinian casualties has surpassed 45,000 martyrs, the majority of whom are women and children. More than 107,000 have been injured, most of them women and children as well. The number of displaced persons has reached 1.9 million. The Israeli violations have extended to international staff, who lost their lives while performing their duties. More than 70% of the infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed. Poverty, unemployment, and starvation rates have reached catastrophic levels, ranging from 80% to 100%. It is expected that more than 90% of the Gaza population will suffer from acute food shortages.
This aggression has extended to target the residents of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, who are suffering from the expansion of settlement activities, settler violence, and military incursions into the cities of the West Bank.
Egypt reiterates the imperative and indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in providing desperately-needed support to the Palestinian people. It also underscores the inalienable right of return for the Palestinian people.
Under these circumstances, I can only stress the urgent and critical need for an immediate and enduring ceasefire in Gaza, and for lifting Israel’s obstacles impeding humanitarian access. This would pave the way for post-war arrangements. In this regard, I would like to confirm that any vision for the ‘day after’ in the Gaza Strip will never succeed unless it is based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with contiguous territory, along the June 4, 1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Again, I emphasize Egypt’s unequivocal and categorical rejection of any scheme designed to liquidate the Palestinian cause, whether through the forced displacement or separating Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Honorable attendees,
The flames of the Israeli war have extended to Lebanon, where the Israeli aggression has resulted in the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, including women and children, and more than 16,000 injured. Approximately 1.2 million people have been displaced. Since the beginning of the aggression, Egypt has been keen on providing all possible support to the brotherly people of Lebanon. Egypt has also established a direct air link between Cairo and Beirut, successfully delivering 92 tons of medical supplies and relief aid.
While Egypt welcomes the announcement of the entry into force of a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, it underlines the crucial need for concerted international efforts to mobilize the necessary funding for Lebanon’s reconstruction, notably with international estimates indicating that Lebanon needs around $5 billion for reconstruction.
Egypt confirms the vital importance of the full and non-selective implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the empowerment of the Lebanese Army to extend its control over all Lebanese territory. Egypt also reaffirms its full commitment to supporting the Lebanese brothers to complete their constitutional requirements by electing a president of the republic, within the framework of Lebanon’s national sovereignty and internal consensus.
Your Highnesses and Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Finally, I would like to reassert that Egypt will spare no effort in supporting the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nations to safeguard their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Egypt will continue its unyielding and unwavering efforts toward de-escalating tensions in the region and restoring security, stability, and peace, in order to progress along the path of development and prosperity, and to secure a brighter future for our peoples.
Thank you
