Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Osama Abdelkhalek, warned that failing to implement the Sharm El-Sheikh peace agreement could lead to catastrophe. He described the summit as a decisive historical step to end a painful, winless war and start a new chapter for peace in the Middle East. He affirmed Egypt's ongoing efforts to support the agreement and urged all parties to honor ceasefire pledges and ensure unimpeded humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
In a speech before a UN Security Council session on the Middle East situation on Thursday, Ambassador Osama Abdelkhalek affirmed Egypt's commitment to intensive efforts supporting the implementation of the war termination agreement. He cautioned against the "extremely serious repercussions" of failing to strictly adhere to the Sharm El-Sheikh commitments, urging all parties to fulfill pledges on ceasefire arrangements and ensure unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid in quantities meeting Palestinian needs.
He announced that Egypt, in cooperation with the United Nations and regional and international partners, will host an international conference for Gaza's reconstruction next November to mobilize necessary support for rebuilding. Egypt strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset's approval of two draft laws aimed at imposing so-called Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, deeming it a "blatant violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy" that have condemned for decades Israeli measures altering the demographic composition and legal character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Abdelkhalek welcomed the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion affirming international law's rejection of attempts to displace or starve the Palestinian people, noting it as an important step in supporting legitimate Palestinian rights. He concluded by stressing the inevitability of empowering Palestinians to exercise their inalienable rights, foremost the establishment of their independent state, and that regional peace requires Israel's withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories. He also reiterated Egypt's solidarity with Syria and Lebanon in protecting their legitimate rights and preserving their territories.