French President Emmanuel Macron was in Cairo this Wednesday for talks on the Israel-Hamas conflict with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, where humanitarian relief and medical support for the Gaza strip topped the agenda.
At a joint news conference with President al-Sisi following the talks, Macron insisted that humanitarian aid must enter into Gaza without obstacles.
He added that it was essential to get fuel supplies to hospitals, adding that a French navy ship would arrive soon to help bring support to Gaza hospitals and that a plane will arrive in Egypt with key supplies.
Macron also said that it was necessary to avoid regional escalation following the conflict between Israel and Hamas, adding that a two-state solution was necessary for peace in the Middle East.
"It is not because it is an old idea [a two-state solution] that it is an obsolete idea," he said.
EN DIRECT | Déclaration conjointe avec Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Président de l’Égypte. https://t.co/ix6LXNaJKr
— Élysée (@Elysee) October 25, 2023
Containing the crisis
President al-Sisi told the press conference that he agreed with Macron to work to contain the crisis in Gaza, introduce aid and seek to prevent other parties from entering the conflict.
He added that Macron understood that any displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza strip towards Egyptian territory would be "extremely dangerous".
"We condemn all actions that affect all civilians and this should be addressed with one standard," al-Sisi added.
President al-Sisi had earlier stated that Egypt was doing "all it can" to push for de-escalation and a ceasefire, as well as to "support civilians in Gaza" by securing aid through the Rafah border crossing, the only passage in and out of the territory not controlled by Israel.
'Double standards'
Meanwhile, Macron rejected accusations of France practicing "double standards" pushing back against criticism of his government's response to war between Israel and Hamas.
During the joint press conference, the French president stressed that "International law applies to everyone and France carries the universal values of humanism," in response to claims by Arab leaders who have accused Western nations of overlooking harm to Palestinians.
"All lives are equal, all victims deserve our compassion and our lasting commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East," Macron added.
On Tuesday, Macron visited the occupied West Bank for talks with Mahmud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu.
His Majesty King Abdullah II, during a meeting with #France President Emmanuel Macron at Al Husseiniya Palace, affirms that stopping the war on #Gaza is an absolute necessity that the world must immediately move to address #Jordan pic.twitter.com/t8FbPBi3nk
— RHC (@RHCJO) October 25, 2023
Talks in Amman
Earlier Wednesday, President Macron was in Amman, where he met King Abdullah II, who stressed that "stopping the war on Gaza is an absolute necessity, and the world must move immediately in this direction."
Arab leaders have pushed for a ceasefire and a return to a political process, echoing wider warnings of a potential regional spill-over of the Israel-Hamas war.
King Abdullah warned against "the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip, which might lead to an explosion in the situation in the region".
Egypt and Jordan were the first two Arab states to forge relations with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 respectively, and have since played key mediator roles.
(with newswires)
