Cairo Summit: Ministers Demand Cease-fire, Urge 2-State Solution

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and France convened in Cairo on Saturday to address the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza and seek a permanent resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordan’s Ayman Safadi, and France’s Stéphane Séjourné united in their call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages and detainees.” The ministers highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions, including the risk of famine and the collapse of health care in Gaza, and strongly opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians.

They urged Israel to remove barriers to aid, emphasizing the necessity of unhindered humanitarian access through all land crossings to the embattled Gaza Strip. Specifically, the ministers voiced their opposition to any military actions against Rafah, a city now home to 1.5 million displaced individuals, cautioning that such an attack would lead to significant loss of life and worsen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

This meeting comes in the wake of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, and an unconditional release of all the hostages, to foster conditions for a lasting peace. The United States abstained in the vote on the resolution and said it was nonbinding.

The ministers reiterated the urgency of implementing relevant resolutions and the pivotal role they saw in a two-state solution that ensures an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.