The Arab-Islamic Committee has called for a complete ceasefire in Gaza and emphasized the importance of implementing the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Gaza. Sameh Shoukry, the Foreign Minister of Egypt, and his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League and the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, met with David Cameron, the British Foreign Minister, in London on Wednesday. Ahmed Abu Zeid, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, said that the members of the committee held frank and detailed talks with the British Foreign Minister about the role hoped for by important international parties such as the United Kingdom and the permanent members of the Security Council in stopping the war against the Gaza Strip and providing the necessary protection to Palestinian civilians.
The ministers stressed that the current crisis should not be considered without reference to the root and historical causes of the Palestinian issue, the escalation of Israeli attacks before the crisis in Palestinian cities and towns, and violations in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They also asserted that it is necessary to ensure full and sustainable humanitarian access, remove the obstacles placed by Israel to the entry of aid, and put an end to Israeli violations and aggressions that violate the provisions of international humanitarian law and all human values, and to call these violations by their names without ambiguity and hold the perpetrators accountable in order to preserve the credibility of the international community.
Furthermore, the ministers asserted that it is necessary to put an end to Israeli violations and aggressions that violate the provisions of international humanitarian law and all human values, and to call these violations by their names without ambiguity and hold the perpetrators accountable in order to preserve the credibility of the international community.
During the meeting, Minister Shoukry stressed the need to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip in a sustainable manner and without Israeli obstacles to alleviate the acute humanitarian crisis.
He pointed to Egypt’s position rejecting all attempts to pressure the Palestinians to leave the Strip under the weight of the blockade and constant shelling. He added that the humanitarian disaster in Gaza raises many questions about the silence and attitudes of the international parties towards the crisis compared to other armed conflicts.
Minister Shoukry stressed that the killing and destruction of civilians and infrastructure cannot be justified under the guise of self-defense or resistance to terrorism.
For his part, the British Foreign minister stressed the importance of reactivating diplomatic efforts towards a two-state solution, which provides security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
He stressed the need to allow humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip to bring more fuel so that they can carry out life-saving work without hindrance, including supplying hospitals with electricity and desalination plants, which provide 80% of Gaza’s water.
Cameron said that the humanitarian truce agreement reached Wednesday dawn represents an important opportunity to get the “hostages” out and deliver more aid to Gaza to help the Palestinian people.
He explained that during the meeting, they discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and” how can we build a peaceful future that provides peace and stability to the Palestinian people?”
He also discussed how to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts towards a two-state solution that provides security for both Israelis and Palestinians, and reiterated the UK’s condemnation of the escalation of settler violence in the West Bank.
The British government has stated in a statement that it has helped lead the international response to the humanitarian crisis, by recently announcing additional aid worth GBP 30m to the Occupied Palestinian territories on 23 October – more than double the current aid commitments for this year (GBP 27m).
