Cairo: During the tripartite summit held in Cairo on Monday, the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and France called for an immediate return to the ceasefire in Gaza.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, in a joint statement, the leaders also called for “an immediate return to the ceasefire to protect Palestinians, ensure their immediate and full receipt of emergency humanitarian aid, and implement the ceasefire agreement signed on January 19.” The leaders emphasized that “the protection of civilians and humanitarian aid workers, and ensuring full access to aid, are obligations that must be fulfilled under international law and international humanitarian law.”
The three leaders expressed their “deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” calling for an end to all unilateral measures that undermine the viability of a two-state solution and increase tensions. They also emphasized the “need to respect the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem,” and expressed their “rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their land and any attempt to annex Palestinian territories.”
The leaders called for “international support for the Gaza Reconstruction Plan adopted by the Arab Summit held in Cairo on March 4 and adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on March 7. They discussed mechanisms for its effective implementation with regard to security and governance.”
The leaders emphasized that “governance and the maintenance of order and security in Gaza, as well as in all Palestinian territories, must be exclusively under the umbrella of an empowered Palestinian National Authority, with strong regional and international support,” while expressing their “readiness to assist in this regard in coordination with partners.”
The leaders reiterated the “need to crystallize these efforts at the June conference, which will be co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” expressing their “support for the Gaza reconstruction conference to be held in Cairo in the near future.”