Leaders and officials from more than a dozen countries gathered in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, Saturday for a hastily arranged summit aimed at producing a roadmap for humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip and reviving hopes of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The summit brought together several Arab and European heads of state and government, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah, alongside foreign ministers.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told leaders at the summit that a humanitarian corridor was needed to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza and its establishment could lead to a ceasefire.
"The distribution of aid to civilian populations, starting with the most vulnerable, assumes a humanitarian corridor, which can lead to a ceasefire," she said, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron had announced an additional €10 million of humanitarian aid.
"Il faut de la sécurité pour Israël & un État pour les Palestiniens. Ces éléments sont indissociables.
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) October 21, 2023
La seule solution est une solution à 2 États vivant côte à côte en paix & sécurité.
Notre responsabilité : forger un consensus sur ces lignes pour refermer enfin cette… pic.twitter.com/tXPR1Q71YL
Europe divided
While both Colonna and EU Council President Charles Michel were at the event, neither German Chancellor Olaf Scholz nor British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended.
European countries have struggled to settle on a united approach to the crisis, beyond condemning Hamas's attack, after days of confusion and mixed messaging.
EU staff around the world on Friday wrote a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticising her "unconditional support" of Israel.
The absence of a top official from the US – Israel's main ally – has also dampened expectations for what the event, dubbed the Cairo Summit for Peace, could actually achieve.
The summit took place as Israel readies a ground assault on Gaza following the 7 October attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people. More than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's counteroffensive, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid on Saturday moved into Gaza at the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border. The World Food Programme said the convoy was insufficient to address the unprecedented crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Roadmap for peace?
Opening the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asked leaders to agree a path to end the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip, including the delivery of aid and a ceasefire.
Negotiations leading to a two-state solution were also a goal, he said.
Meanwhile addressing leaders Jordan’s King Abdullah said: “All civilian lives matter. The relentless bombing campaign under way in Gaza as we speak is cruel and unconscionable on every level.
"It is collective punishment of a besieged and helpless people. It is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It is a war crime.
On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Egypt, Jordan and Turkey in support of the home to 2.3 million people in Gaza.
Muslims held smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Malaysia and India.
No forced displacement
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that Egyptians in their millions would reject the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai, adding that any such move would turn the Egyptian peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel.
There are also Arab fears that Palestinians could be forced from their homes en masse, as they were during the war over Israel’s creation in 1948.
Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah said on 12 October they rejected forcibly displacing Palestinians and that Israel was "imposing collective punishment" on the inhabitants of Gaza by bombing civilians.
Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement that rules Gaza, after its fighters crossed the barrier around the enclave on 7 October in the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history.
(with newswires)
