Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry has said that a two-state solution remains the only viable pathway to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Shoukry’s remarks came during his participation at the urgent session for the UN Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, chaired by China on Sunday.
Shoukry called for an immediate ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.
He added that Egypt has, from the outset, sought through extensive contacts to establish an immediate ceasefire and to revive serious negotiations.
“Egypt does not see a way to solve the crisis except through the Palestinian people gaining their legitimate rights, on top of which is an independent state,” he said.
Shoukry noted that the Palestinian issue has witnessed successive setbacks throughout its history, which have lead up to the current scene. He also said that the forced displacement policy is a systematic Israeli policy.
He said that the West Bank and Jerusalem have witnessed a vast expansion in the policy of forced displacement and home seizures perpetrated against Palestinians.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his speech before the session that hostilities in Israel and Gaza were “utterly appalling”.
Guterres called for an immediate end to fighting, and for the parties involved in the conflict to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.
For his part, Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Othman Jerandi called on the international community and the UN Security Council to provide the necessary protection for the Palestinian people and urge Israel to end the occupation.
Meanwhile, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi stressed that the two-state solution is the best solution to move forward, and that the Palestinian people have the right to establish their own state.
“The current situation cannot continue,” Wang said, “We call for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.”
Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Riad Al-Malk stressed in his speech before the meeting that the Israelis are killing civilians in Gaza, “family after family”.
He added, “There are no people on Earth that accept what Israel is committing against it.”
Al-Malki said, “[Israel is] the armed thief who violated our homes, killed our children, and destroyed our people from generation to generation.”
