Arab leaders gathered in Cairo for a summit and criticized Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, while European nations stressed the need to protect civilians. However, the absence of Israeli and senior U.S. officials prevented a consensus on tackling the violence.
Egypt had organized and hosted the summit with hopes of achieving a joint call for peace and renewed efforts to resolve the longstanding Palestinian statehood issue. Unfortunately, the meeting concluded without a joint statement, leaving a conflict that has resulted in thousands of casualties and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza unresolved.
Diplomats were not overly optimistic about a breakthrough, given Israel's preparations for a ground invasion of Gaza to combat the militant group Hamas, which had launched a deadly attack on Israeli towns on October 7, resulting in 1,400 casualties. Since then, Israel's airstrikes have reportedly claimed the lives of at least 4,385 Palestinians.
Focus of the Summit
While Arab and Muslim nations called for an immediate halt to Israel's offensive, Western countries primarily emphasized humanitarian relief for civilians.
Jordan's King Abdullah criticized the global silence regarding Israel's attacks and urged a balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing that all lives, Palestinian and Israeli, should be equally valued. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that Palestinians would not be displaced from their land.
France proposed a humanitarian corridor into Gaza as a potential path to a ceasefire, while Britain and Germany urged restraint by the Israeli military. Italy emphasized the importance of avoiding further escalation.
The absence of senior U.S. officials, who have historically played a key role in regional peace efforts, raised questions about the summit's effectiveness. Israel, in the midst of its most significant conflict in 75 years, was also notably absent.
The summit aimed to explore ways to prevent a broader regional conflict, but sensitive issues around calling for a ceasefire and addressing Israel's right to self-defense complicated reaching a public agreement.
Arab states feared that the offensive might lead to permanent displacement of Gaza residents into neighboring states, recalling events from the 1948 war after Israel's establishment. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi opposed the displacement of Palestinians into Egypt's Sinai region, advocating for an independent Palestinian state.
The summit concluded with trucks carrying humanitarian aid entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing, which is not controlled by Israel, marking efforts to address the dire humanitarian situation.
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