Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed on Tuesday his country’s commitment to support the United Nations Human Rights Council in achieving its objectives.
In his statement to the council, he denounced the ongoing crimes and violations against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, such as settlement expansion, demolition of buildings, military raids, and other abuses documented by international reports.
Shoukry called for an immediate halt to the violations of international humanitarian law that the Palestinians face, including the use of starvation, siege, and forced displacement as weapons to undermine the Palestinian cause.
He urged an immediate ceasefire and a stop to any Israeli military action in Palestinian Rafah, where more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister warned that any military action in these circumstances would have disastrous consequences that would endanger the peace and stability of the region. He also stressed the need to implement the Security Council resolutions to ensure the safe and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.
Shoukry highlighted the efforts that Egypt has made since the outbreak of the crisis to guarantee the continuous flow of urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
He emphasized that Egypt will persist in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire and increase humanitarian assistance, as well as to address the root causes of the conflict and support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Shoukry also expressed his concern over the successive crises that the international community faces, such as the rise of racist practices, discrimination, and hate speech against immigrants and refugees, the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia, and the crimes of burning the Holy Qur’an, which he said cannot be justified by any means. He warned that the Council would lose its credibility and its raison d’être if it failed to address these issues and if its members continued to apply double standards and target some countries for political reasons while shielding others from accountability for their atrocities.
On a different note, Shoukry met with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, on Tuesday, on the margins of their participation in the high-level segment of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.
The two ministers expressed their desire to restore the normal course of bilateral relations under the historical and cultural ties between the two countries and their pivotal role in the region.
During the meeting, they discussed all issues and topics related to bilateral relations, as well as the agenda items and outcomes of the meeting that they attended on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they stressed the importance of this meeting as a significant step in this direction.
The meeting also focused on the developments related to the Gaza Strip crisis, the grave repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the Strip, and the dire humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people.
Minister Shoukry informed his Iranian counterpart of Egypt’s efforts to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and deliver sustainable aid to the Strip.
The two ministers reiterated their rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians or undermine their cause. They agreed to work for an immediate ceasefire and the continuity of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, under the Security Council resolutions.
Regarding the war in Gaza, Minister Shoukry conveyed Egypt’s deep concern about the regional instability caused by the escalating conflict, which could have grave implications for the security and stability of several Arab countries.
Shoukry also expressed Egypt’s alarm over the growing military tensions in the southern Red Sea region, which posed an unprecedented risk to the international shipping traffic in one of its vital corridors, and harmed the interests of many countries, including Egypt.
At the end of the meeting, the two ministers confirmed their desire to achieve stability and security in their region and agreed to keep in touch to discuss various issues of mutual interest at the bilateral, regional, and international levels.
