Egypt's Mideast conference pushes for end to Gaza war

Cairo [Egypt], October 22: An Egyptian-hosted international conference on the Middle East on Saturday pushed for an end to a deadly war between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Israel was not represented at the meeting, officially dubbed the "Cairo Summit for Peace." Several speakers at the gathering voiced fears the ongoing fighting could devolve into a wider regional war with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling for action "to end this terrible nightmare."
Guterres listed three immediate goals: unhindered humanitarian assistance to besieged civilians in the Gaza Strip, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages kidnapped from Israel, and committed efforts to curb violence to prevent the conflict from escalating.
The conflict could only be solved with a two-state solution, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, he said.
In an opening address to the conference, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi said the aim of the meeting should be "reaching a roadmap to end the current humanitarian tragedy and revive the peace process." He added that the summit was held during "tough times testing our humanity."
Egypt, the the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, is worried about a mass exodus of Gazans into its territory.
"Egypt renews rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians and their exodus to the Egyptian territories because this would liquidate the Palestinian cause," al-Sissi said in an opening address at the meeting.
"Under no circumstances, will the liquidation of the Palestinian cause happen at Egypt's expense," he added.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas lent his backing to al-Sissi's position.
"We won't accept displacement. We'll remain steadfast on our land whatever the challenges," he said at the conference.
"We won't leave. We won't leave. We won't leave. We'll stay in our land," he added defiantly.
King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose country maintains diplomatic links with Israel, voiced "unequivocal rejection" of the forced displacement of Palestinians.
"This is a war crime according to international law, and a red line for all of us," he said.
The one-day conference opened shortly after the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid started to move through Egypt's only border crossing with the Gaza Strip.
German Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock called for "distinction between terrorists and the civilian population at all times." She assured Israel of full solidarity in the fight against Hamas terror, but at the same time called on the international community to provide more support for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip.
"For Germany, the security of the state of Israel is non-negotiable," the Green politician said at the summit. "What is also clear is that the perpetrators of this terror do not speak for the Palestinian people. They speak only for themselves. They speak the language of terror." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a pause was necessary to protect the lives of the 200 Israelis being held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza as well as Gaza's Palestinian civilians.
Spain holds the rotating six-month EU presidency until the end of the year.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said at the meeting that "even in times of war, there are rules," and Palestinian and Israeli civilians are equal and both must be protected.
World leaders and diplomats have rushed to the Middle East after Hamas unleashed a large-scale terrorist attack on Israel, prompting retaliatory airstrikes on the heavily populated Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli bombardment came after hundreds of Hamas militants crossed the border from Gaza into Israel on October 7 in a surprise attack that targeted civilian communities and a music festival. Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza and stopped the entry of food, medicines and fuel, prompting dire warnings about the conditions faced by civilians in the impoverished territory.
Egypt said on Saturday its invitation for the summit sought to build an "international consensus" to call for an end to the ongoing war "that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians" on the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
"This consensus also warns of the dangers of the current conflict spreading to other areas of the region," an Egyptian presidential statement added in English.
Without elaborating, the statement said the conference attendees met "to consult and explore ways to advance efforts toward containing the aggravating crisis" in Gaza and toward military de-escalation.
Source: Qatar Tribune