All rights reserved to the presidency Copyright © 2020
President El-Sisi's Speech at the Cairo Summit for Peace
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellences
The Kings, Princes, Heads of State and Government
Honorable Attendees
We are meeting in Cairo today at a challenging time that tests our humanity before our interests and the depth of our faith in the value of the human being and in his right to life. The principles we profess to support are also called into question and scrutinized in these difficult times.
I tell you honestly, that all the peoples of the world, not only the peoples of this region, are following with eyes wide open our stances at this momentous and historical moment, in the wake of the military escalation which began on the seventh of October in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Egypt condemns, in the clearest terms, the targeting, killing and intimidation of peaceful civilians. At the same time, Egypt is expressing its deep shock that the world is standing by idly, while the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolds. Two and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being subjected to collective punishment. They are living under siege and facing starvation and ferocious pressure of forced displacement, through practices condemned by the civilized world that has adopted conventions and established the international law and international humanitarian law to criminalize and prohibit their recurrence. This compels us to restate our call to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and the innocent civilians.
Where are the values of human civilization that we have established over long millennia and centuries? Where is equality of human souls without discrimination or segregation or .. double standards?
From the very first moment, Egypt has engaged in unyielding, strenuous and vigorous efforts, day and night, to coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid and relief to the besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Egypt has not closed the Rafah land crossing at any moment. However, the repeated Israeli shelling of the Palestinian side obstructed its operation. Amidst the severity of the circumstances on the ground, I agreed with the American President to operate the crossing on a sustainable basis, under the supervision of and coordination with the United Nations, the UNRWA and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The aid and relief shall be distributed under the supervision of the United Nations to the people in the Gaza Strip.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The world must never condone the use of human suffering to force people into displacement. Egypt has affirmed, and is reiterating, its vehement rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinians and their transfer to Egyptian lands in Sinai, as this will mark the last gasp in the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, shatter the dream of an independent Palestinian state, and squander the struggle of the Palestinian people and that of the Arab and Islamic peoples over the course of the Palestinian cause that has endured for 75 years.
He will be mistaken in his understanding of the nature of the Palestinian people, whoever thinks that these proud, steadfast and resilient people are willing to abandon their land, even if that land is under occupation or bombardment.
I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world, and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not.
Again
I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world, and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not.
Honorable Attendees,
Is this region destined to endure this conflict for eternity?
Isn’t it about time to address the root causes of the problem of the Middle East.
Hasn’t the time come yet to dispel the political illusions that the status quo can sustain, meaning the state of unilateral measures, settlements, the desecration of holy sites, and uprooting of the Palestinians from their homes and villages and from Al Quds Al Sharif (The Holy City of Jerusalem).
Egypt has paid a heavy price for peace to prevail in this region; it initiated it when the voice of war predominated, and maintained it alone when the voice of void overstatements was prevalent. Egypt stood tall, leading its region toward peaceful co-existence based on justice.
Today, Egypt is telling you in all candor and sincerity: that the solution for the Palestinian cause is not displacement, and is not by forcibly transferring the entire people to other regions; the one and only solution is justice, with the Palestinians obtaining their legitimate rights for self-determination, and leading a proud and safe life in an independent state on their land like the rest of the peoples of the earth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are encountering an unprecedented crisis, that necessitates utmost attention to prevent the conflict from expanding in a manner that compromises the stability of the region and undermines international peace and security.
Therefore, I have extended an invitation to you today to deliberate and work together toward reaching a specific agreement on a roadmap, that aims to end the current humanitarian tragedy and revive the path of peace through several spheres:
This starts with ensuring the full, safe, unfettered and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid and relief to the people of Gaza, followed instantaneously by negotiations on achieving calm and a ceasefire. Then talks on reviving the peace process shall start immediately to put into effect the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, living side by side with Israel, on the basis of the resolutions of international legitimacy. This shall take place while working, in earnest, to bolster the legitimate Palestinian National Authority to assume its duties, in full capacity, in the Palestinian territories.
Honorable Attendees
Let us send a message to the peoples of the world. Let us tell them that their leaders acknowledge the magnitude of the responsibility, that they see with their own eyes the fully-fledged humanitarian catastrophe, and that they feel, from the bottom of their hearts, the pain for every innocent child who dies in a conflict that he does not comprehend .. death strikes them in a shelling or bombardment, or approaches them slowly in a wound that finds no medicine .. or they starve to death.
Let us send a message of hope to the peoples of the world that tomorrow will be better than today.
Thank you
May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you
President El-Sisi Participates in Cairo Peace Summit
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi participated in the Cairo Peace Summit, hosted by Egypt in the New Administrative Capital.
Press Release issued by the Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt the Cairo Peace Summit
At the invitation of the Arab Republic of Egypt, leaders, heads of government, and envoys of a number of regional and international countries met in Cairo on Saturday, October 21, 2023, to consult and explore ways to advance efforts toward containing the aggravating crisis in the Gaza Strip and toward military de-escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Escalation has claimed thousands of innocent civilian lives since the outbreak of armed confrontations on October 7.
By calling for this summit, the Arab Republic of Egypt sought to build international consensus that transcends cultures, races, religions, and political stances, the core of which is the values of humanity and its collective conscience that rejects violence, terrorism, and unlawful killing of souls, that calls for an end to the ongoing war that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, that demands upholding the rules of international law and international humanitarian law, that underscores the ultimate importance of protecting civilians and of not exposing them to dangers and threats and that gives special priority to providing access, ensuring the flow of humanitarian and relief aid, and delivering it to the right beneficiaries from the people of the Gaza Strip. This consensus also warns of the dangers of the current conflict spreading to other areas of the region.
Egypt looked forward for the participants to launch a global call for peace, in which they agree on the importance of re-assessing the international strategy for addressing the Palestinian issue over the past decades so as to emerge from the current crisis with a new political spirit and will that pave the way for unlocking a real and serious peace process. This shall lead, in a short period of time, to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, along the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The international scene over the past decades has revealed a serious deficiency in finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, because it sought to manage the conflict, and not end it permanently. It confined itself to offering temporary solutions and analgesics that do not live up to the minimum aspirations of a people who have suffered for more than 80 years of foreign occupation, attempts to obliterate identity and loss of hope. The ongoing war has also disclosed a shortcoming in the values of the international community in addressing crises. While we see one place rushing and competing to promptly condemn the killing of innocent people, we find incomprehensible hesitation in denouncing the same act in another place. We even see attempts to justify this killing, as if the life of the Palestinian human being is less important than that of other people.
The lives lost every day during the current crisis and the women and children trembling in terror under the air strikes around the clock compel the international community's response to be commensurate with the gravity of the event. The right of the Palestinian person is not excluded from others whom the rules of international humanitarian law include or from international conventions that address human rights. The Palestinian people must enjoy all the rights enjoyed by other peoples, starting with the utmost right, which is the right to life, and their right to find safe housing, decent health care, and education for their children and above all they must have a state that embodies their identity and to which they are proud to belong.
The Arab Republic of Egypt, which took the initiative to call for the Peace Summit, expresses its deep appreciation to the countries and organizations that responded to the invitation despite time constraints.
On this occasion, it confirms that it will spare no effort in continuing to work with all partners in order to achieve the goals that called for holding this summit, regardless of the difficulties or the duration of the conflict. Egypt will always maintain its firm position in support of Palestinian rights, believing in peace as a strategic and irreversible option until the vision of a two-state solution, Palestinian and Israeli, living side by side is realized.
Within the framework of Egypt’s efforts to achieve these noble goals, it will never accept calls to liquidate the Palestinian cause at the expense of any country in the region. It will not relent for a moment in safeguarding its sovereignty and national security under increasingly dangerous and threatening circumstances and situations, relying on the help of Allah Almighty and the will and determination of its people.
President El-Sisi Holds Meetings on the Sidelines of Cairo Peace Summit
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a series of separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Cairo Summit for Peace. The President met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, and President of the European Council Charles Michel.
President El-Sisi's Speech at the Cairo Summit for Peace
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellences
The Kings, Princes, Heads of State and Government
Honorable Attendees
We are meeting in Cairo today at a challenging time that tests our humanity before our interests and the depth of our faith in the value of the human being and in his right to life. The principles we profess to support are also called into question and scrutinized in these difficult times.
I tell you honestly, that all the peoples of the world, not only the peoples of this region, are following with eyes wide open our stances at this momentous and historical moment, in the wake of the military escalation which began on the seventh of October in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Egypt condemns, in the clearest terms, the targeting, killing and intimidation of peaceful civilians. At the same time, Egypt is expressing its deep shock that the world is standing by idly, while the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolds. Two and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being subjected to collective punishment. They are living under siege and facing starvation and ferocious pressure of forced displacement, through practices condemned by the civilized world that has adopted conventions and established the international law and international humanitarian law to criminalize and prohibit their recurrence. This compels us to restate our call to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and the innocent civilians.
Where are the values of human civilization that we have established over long millennia and centuries? Where is equality of human souls without discrimination or segregation or .. double standards?
From the very first moment, Egypt has engaged in unyielding, strenuous and vigorous efforts, day and night, to coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid and relief to the besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Egypt has not closed the Rafah land crossing at any moment. However, the repeated Israeli shelling of the Palestinian side obstructed its operation. Amidst the severity of the circumstances on the ground, I agreed with the American President to operate the crossing on a sustainable basis, under the supervision of and coordination with the United Nations, the UNRWA and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The aid and relief shall be distributed under the supervision of the United Nations to the people in the Gaza Strip.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The world must never condone the use of human suffering to force people into displacement. Egypt has affirmed, and is reiterating, its vehement rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinians and their transfer to Egyptian lands in Sinai, as this will mark the last gasp in the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, shatter the dream of an independent Palestinian state, and squander the struggle of the Palestinian people and that of the Arab and Islamic peoples over the course of the Palestinian cause that has endured for 75 years.
He will be mistaken in his understanding of the nature of the Palestinian people, whoever thinks that these proud, steadfast and resilient people are willing to abandon their land, even if that land is under occupation or bombardment.
I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world, and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not.
Again
I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world, and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not.
Honorable Attendees,
Is this region destined to endure this conflict for eternity?
Isn’t it about time to address the root causes of the problem of the Middle East.
Hasn’t the time come yet to dispel the political illusions that the status quo can sustain, meaning the state of unilateral measures, settlements, the desecration of holy sites, and uprooting of the Palestinians from their homes and villages and from Al Quds Al Sharif (The Holy City of Jerusalem).
Egypt has paid a heavy price for peace to prevail in this region; it initiated it when the voice of war predominated, and maintained it alone when the voice of void overstatements was prevalent. Egypt stood tall, leading its region toward peaceful co-existence based on justice.
Today, Egypt is telling you in all candor and sincerity: that the solution for the Palestinian cause is not displacement, and is not by forcibly transferring the entire people to other regions; the one and only solution is justice, with the Palestinians obtaining their legitimate rights for self-determination, and leading a proud and safe life in an independent state on their land like the rest of the peoples of the earth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are encountering an unprecedented crisis, that necessitates utmost attention to prevent the conflict from expanding in a manner that compromises the stability of the region and undermines international peace and security.
Therefore, I have extended an invitation to you today to deliberate and work together toward reaching a specific agreement on a roadmap, that aims to end the current humanitarian tragedy and revive the path of peace through several spheres:
This starts with ensuring the full, safe, unfettered and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid and relief to the people of Gaza, followed instantaneously by negotiations on achieving calm and a ceasefire. Then talks on reviving the peace process shall start immediately to put into effect the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, living side by side with Israel, on the basis of the resolutions of international legitimacy. This shall take place while working, in earnest, to bolster the legitimate Palestinian National Authority to assume its duties, in full capacity, in the Palestinian territories.
Honorable Attendees
Let us send a message to the peoples of the world. Let us tell them that their leaders acknowledge the magnitude of the responsibility, that they see with their own eyes the fully-fledged humanitarian catastrophe, and that they feel, from the bottom of their hearts, the pain for every innocent child who dies in a conflict that he does not comprehend .. death strikes them in a shelling or bombardment, or approaches them slowly in a wound that finds no medicine .. or they starve to death.
Let us send a message of hope to the peoples of the world that tomorrow will be better than today.
Thank you
May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you
President El-Sisi Participates in Cairo Peace Summit
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi participated in the Cairo Peace Summit, hosted by Egypt in the New Administrative Capital.
Press Release issued by the Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt the Cairo Peace Summit
At the invitation of the Arab Republic of Egypt, leaders, heads of government, and envoys of a number of regional and international countries met in Cairo on Saturday, October 21, 2023, to consult and explore ways to advance efforts toward containing the aggravating crisis in the Gaza Strip and toward military de-escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Escalation has claimed thousands of innocent civilian lives since the outbreak of armed confrontations on October 7.
By calling for this summit, the Arab Republic of Egypt sought to build international consensus that transcends cultures, races, religions, and political stances, the core of which is the values of humanity and its collective conscience that rejects violence, terrorism, and unlawful killing of souls, that calls for an end to the ongoing war that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, that demands upholding the rules of international law and international humanitarian law, that underscores the ultimate importance of protecting civilians and of not exposing them to dangers and threats and that gives special priority to providing access, ensuring the flow of humanitarian and relief aid, and delivering it to the right beneficiaries from the people of the Gaza Strip. This consensus also warns of the dangers of the current conflict spreading to other areas of the region.
Egypt looked forward for the participants to launch a global call for peace, in which they agree on the importance of re-assessing the international strategy for addressing the Palestinian issue over the past decades so as to emerge from the current crisis with a new political spirit and will that pave the way for unlocking a real and serious peace process. This shall lead, in a short period of time, to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, along the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The international scene over the past decades has revealed a serious deficiency in finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, because it sought to manage the conflict, and not end it permanently. It confined itself to offering temporary solutions and analgesics that do not live up to the minimum aspirations of a people who have suffered for more than 80 years of foreign occupation, attempts to obliterate identity and loss of hope. The ongoing war has also disclosed a shortcoming in the values of the international community in addressing crises. While we see one place rushing and competing to promptly condemn the killing of innocent people, we find incomprehensible hesitation in denouncing the same act in another place. We even see attempts to justify this killing, as if the life of the Palestinian human being is less important than that of other people.
The lives lost every day during the current crisis and the women and children trembling in terror under the air strikes around the clock compel the international community's response to be commensurate with the gravity of the event. The right of the Palestinian person is not excluded from others whom the rules of international humanitarian law include or from international conventions that address human rights. The Palestinian people must enjoy all the rights enjoyed by other peoples, starting with the utmost right, which is the right to life, and their right to find safe housing, decent health care, and education for their children and above all they must have a state that embodies their identity and to which they are proud to belong.
The Arab Republic of Egypt, which took the initiative to call for the Peace Summit, expresses its deep appreciation to the countries and organizations that responded to the invitation despite time constraints.
On this occasion, it confirms that it will spare no effort in continuing to work with all partners in order to achieve the goals that called for holding this summit, regardless of the difficulties or the duration of the conflict. Egypt will always maintain its firm position in support of Palestinian rights, believing in peace as a strategic and irreversible option until the vision of a two-state solution, Palestinian and Israeli, living side by side is realized.
Within the framework of Egypt’s efforts to achieve these noble goals, it will never accept calls to liquidate the Palestinian cause at the expense of any country in the region. It will not relent for a moment in safeguarding its sovereignty and national security under increasingly dangerous and threatening circumstances and situations, relying on the help of Allah Almighty and the will and determination of its people.
President El-Sisi Holds Meetings on the Sidelines of Cairo Peace Summit
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a series of separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Cairo Summit for Peace. The President met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, and President of the European Council Charles Michel.
All rights reserved to the presidency Copyright © 2020
All rights reserved to the presidency Copyright © 2020