Egypt on Monday called for new Arab security arrangements aimed at strengthening collective defence, coordinating regional capabilities and improving joint responses to crises and security threats amid escalating tensions across the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told the 166th session of the Arab League Council at ministerial level in Cairo that Egypt was ready to work with the League and its member states on a comprehensive framework setting out areas of cooperation, coordination mechanisms and procedures for responding to crises.
The proposed arrangements could build on the Joint Arab Defence Treaty and related Arab League decisions while respecting the sovereignty and independent decision-making of member states, Abdelatty said.
He condemned Iranian attacks targeting Arab countries and expressed Egypt’s solidarity with the Gulf states, Jordan and Iraq, while also calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy to prevent the confrontation from widening.
Abdelatty said Cairo supported renewed negotiations between the United States and Iran, building on a memorandum of understanding reached in June 2026 with the aim of reaching a lasting agreement.
Turning to the Palestinian territories, Abdelatty said wider regional tensions should not overshadow the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank. He reiterated Egypt’s rejection of displacement, settlement expansion and annexation, and backed an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He said Egypt was working with mediators towards implementation of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, including an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, sustained humanitarian access, early recovery and reconstruction, and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to its governing responsibilities in the enclave.
At a separate meeting of the Arab ministerial committee on Jerusalem, Abdelatty warned against Israel’s E1 settlement project and attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. He also urged countries considering moving their embassies to Jerusalem to reconsider.
Abdelatty separately met acting UNRWA Commissioner-General Christian Saunders and reiterated Egypt’s support for the agency, calling for sufficient political and financial backing for UNRWA and protection for its staff and facilities.
He also met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, reaffirming Cairo’s support for Syria’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemning Israeli violations of Syrian territory. The two ministers also discussed expanding economic and trade ties.
In talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Abdelatty discussed plans for the fourth session of the Egyptian-Iraqi Joint Higher Committee in Cairo and further cooperation between Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
Abdelatty also called for freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, saying security in the Red Sea should remain the responsibility of its littoral states. He reiterated Cairo’s opposition to unilateral measures that threaten the Nile water rights of Egypt and Sudan.
