Watan-Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sparked widespread anger among Egyptian activists on social media after his statement on Monday, affirming Egypt’s commitment to the peace treaty with Israel, despite Cairo’s threat days earlier to suspend this agreement if Israel carried out a military operation in Rafah, which indeed happened yesterday and continues until now.
Israeli occupation forces began a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah, resulting in casualties and injuries, with Israel carrying out intensive shelling and airstrikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Egypt: Committed to the peace treaty with Israel
Despite the bombardment of Rafah, Sameh Shoukry affirmed today his country’s commitment to the peace treaty with Israel, stating that Egypt is making relentless efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The Egyptian minister said in a joint press conference with the Slovenian foreign minister in Ljubljana, in response to a question about the impact of developments in Gaza on the alleged peace agreement with Israel: “There is indeed a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel, which has been in effect for the past forty years, and we will continue in this… We are dealing effectively with this matter at this stage.”
Shoukry added in his remarks: “We will continue our efforts with both parties to reach an agreement that leads to the release of prisoners and detainees and ensures the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.”
He also criticized the policies of the occupation and the targeting of civilians, endangering the lives of millions in Gaza, pointing out that the only solution is to work according to the principle of the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.
Sisi’s threats to Israel are “empty”
Reports revealed that Egypt had threatened to suspend its commitments under the peace treaty with Israel, raising questions about whether Cairo could take such a step when it was threatening Israel with an operation in Rafah, at the southernmost border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt.
It seems that the answer to the question has become clear after the Israeli bombardment of Rafah and its ongoing military operation there, while Egypt’s response was entirely contradictory and inconsistent with its previous threats to annul the peace agreement.
من يرى وجود ازمة بين مصر واسرائيل واهم
فمصر لن تحرك ساكن ولو ابيد غزةكلهم
فالنظام الذي لم يحرك ساكن واثيوبيا تبيدنا بمنع الماء لن يتحرك #رفح_تحت_القصف
سامح شكري:هناك اتفاقية سلام مع اسرائيل منذ40عام وسوف تستمر مؤكدا على رفض مصر للتهجير القسري للفلسطينين من خلال العمليات العسكرية pic.twitter.com/j9NBSea0Os— سيلين ساري (@celin931) February 12, 2024
More than a million Palestinians have gathered in Rafah after fleeing from the northern areas due to the war that entered its fifth month a few days ago.
Days ago, Egypt sent around 40 tanks and armored personnel carriers to northeastern Sinai as part of its efforts to enhance security on its border with the Palestinian territories.