Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on 14 November 2023 responded to statements by Israeli Minister of Finance on displacing Palestinians out of Gaza.
In response to queries from a number of diplomatic correspondents vis-a-vis Israeli Minister of Finance stating that voluntary immigration of the population of Gaza is the most appropriate humanitarian solution to the war in Gaza, Mr Shoukry remarked that the recent few days have seen a flow of irresponsible statements by Israeli government officials; these statements, he said, in their entirety violate the rules and provisions of international law and international humanitarian law.
The Foreign Minister stressed that this statement is an expression of the Israeli government’s policy, and that any attempt to justify or encourage the displacement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip is categorically and utterly rejected by Egypt and internationally as well.
Mr Shoukry denounced talking about the displacement process as if it were occurring voluntarily, noting that the displacement of citizens in Gaza is the result of the deliberate military targeting of civilians in the Strip, also the intentional siege and starvation aimed at creating conditions that lead citizens to leave their homes in what amounts to a fully fledged war crime according to the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
The Foreign Minister concluded his statement by emphasising that Egypt’s stance categorically rejects policies of forced displacement of Palestinians, or deliberately withholding humanitarian aid and vital services in a manner that creates unbearable conditions for civilians, or allowing the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and that those who claim to care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza must strive towards halting the military operations which have led to the killing of civilians, including children and women.
Mr Shoukry affirmed that Egypt will continue its efforts to preserve the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to remain on their land and establish their independent, viable and contiguous state, on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Watani International
14 November 2023
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