Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Badr Abdelatty and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi have held Israel responsible for the “serious” escalation of tension in the region due to its aggression on the Gaza Strip, violations of international law, illegal practices in the West Bank, and political assassinations.
In a phone call on Wednesday, Abdelatty and Safadi called on the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution that would compel Israel to end its aggression against Gaza and its ongoing violations of international law.
The two ministers urged for de-escalating the situation to prevent slipping the region into a wider conflict that would threaten stability in the Middle East, especially after Israel assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“In this regard, both ministers condemned political assassinations,” read a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry.
“The first step towards calming the situation is to stop the aggression on Gaza and end the humanitarian tragedy it has caused,” the statement added.
Moreover, they stressed their condemnation of the serious Israeli violations of international law, international humanitarian law, and states’ sovereignty.
The two ministers also reiterated the urgency of Israel ending its occupation of the Palestinian territories to address the roots of the current regional conflict and restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Furthermore, the Egyptian and Jordanian top diplomats stressed that establishing a Palestinian independent, sovereign state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the two-state solution is the only way to achieve regional security and stability.
Since the war began on 7 October, Israel has killed over 39,000 Palestinians, injured more than 90,000, caused extensive damage to Gaza’s infrastructure, and displaced most of the strip’s residents.
The assassination of Haniyeh on Wednesday by an Israeli strike in Iran, where he had been attending the inauguration of the country’s new president, is seen as a blow towards mediation efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to make Israel “regret” the “cowardly” assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran.
Hours earlier, Israel carried out a strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut that it said killed the top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur.
Source: Ahram Online
