Egypt foreign minister attempts to support Palestine

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has sought to support the Palestinian cause while meeting with the Israeli prime minister, whose extremist regime is widely viewed as the main obstacle to any prospect of peace for Palestinians.

Shoukry, who has traveled to Israel, claimed in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Sunday that Cairo is committed to a “two-state” solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The vision of the two-state solution is not far-fetched but rather requires steps to build confidence, as well as a genuine will that does not waver under any circumstance,” he said.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip. They are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian lands.

Israel, however, has refused to withdraw and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.

Shoukry said that Palestinians’ worsening conditions are threatening the prospects for peace.

“The plight of the Palestinian people becomes more arduous every day… My visit to Israel today is a continuation of Egypt’s long-standing sense of responsibility toward peace for itself and all the peoples of the region,” he said.

“Ever since negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ceased in 2014, the situation on the ground has been in constant decline on the humanitarian, economic and security levels,” Shoukry claimed. “The dream of peace and security moves further out of reach as long as the conflict persists. It is no longer acceptable to continue the status quo.”

Last month, representatives from 28 Arab and Western countries, the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations met in Paris to discuss ways to help kick-start the Palestinian-Israeli talks.

Netanyahu, for his part, called on the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to engage in direct negotiations with the Israeli regime.

This is while Netanyahu himself suspended the talks with the Authority in April 2014. The Israeli regime further angered the Palestinians when it approved the construction of more settler units on occupied lands.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu asked Shoukry later on Sunday for Egypt’s help in returning the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza War and purportedly being held by Hamas resistance movement, as well as two Israeli civilians allegedly being kept captive in the Gaza Strip.

Relations between Egypt and the Israeli regime have been warming since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power as the president of the North African country in 2014.

Egypt itself is also contributing to the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip by refusing to allow Gazans through the only crossing that by-passes Israel, namely the Rafah border crossing, which leads into Egyptian territory. The Egyptian government has also been destroying or flooding with water underground tunnels that Gazans had built to bring in much-needed foodstuff and construction material following the latest Israeli war on the strip in 2014.

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