Safadi, Egyptian counterpart discuss efforts to stop war on Gaza

AMMAN —  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday received Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration and Affairs of Egyptians Abroad Badr Abdel Aty and followed up on the discussions they held in Cairo during Safadi's visit to Cairo last week.

 The talks focused on efforts to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, end the humanitarian catastrophe it causes, and the danger it poses to the region's security and stability, according to a ministry statement.

Safadi and Abdel Aty stressed ongoing coordination and consultation with other countries to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire, ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza, and open all crossings to allow the entry of immediate, sufficient, and unconditional aid to the Palestinian people throughout the Gaza Strip.

They also reiterated the need to launch a genuine, effective plan to implement the two-state solution as the only way to resolve the conflict and achieve just and lasting peace.

The two ministers stressed that any proposal regarding the future of Gaza must be part of a comprehensive plan affirming that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories and is inextricably linked with the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

This plan should aim to address the roots of the conflict, represented by the occupation, and establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the pre-1967 borders, in accordance with the two-state solution, and international legitimacy resolutions, they added.

The two ministers condemned the Israeli knesset's decision to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state as a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law, providing further evidence of Israel's undermining of all efforts to achieve just and comprehensive peace.

The top diplomats also condemned the incursion of an extremist, racist Israeli minister into the Al-Aqsa Mosque earlier in the day, which they described as a violation of international law and a provocative act. 

Safadi and Abdel Aty stressed that Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department is the sole authority able to supervise its affairs and manage entries to the site under the historical Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The two ministers reiterated their support for Lebanon, rejecting any aggression against it and its sovereignty, and emphasised the need to adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to prevent further escalation.