Speaking at the opening session of the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state, even if Israel strikes peace deals with every Arab country.
During his speech, the Egyptian president called on his American counterpart, Donald Trump, to exert pressure on Israel to pave the way for a "serious political process."
El-Sisi urged Trump, "as a leader committed to consolidating peace," to play the role of mediator and sponsor, drawing on the historic US role in brokering peace between Egypt and Israel in the 1970s.
The Egyptian president stressed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state remains the only path out of the cycle of violence. "Even if Israel succeeds in normalizing ties with all Arab states," he said, "a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East will remain elusive unless a Palestinian state is established in line with international legitimacy."
El-Sisi's remarks represent a rare Egyptian rebuke of individual peace accords between Arab states and Israel, just days after Trump renewed calls from Riyadh for Saudi Arabia to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Trump also invited Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa to join the set of accords his administration brokered during his first term, known as the Abraham Accords.
Signed in 2020, the Abraham Accords saw Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and Sudan normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.
On the situation in Gaza, El-Sisi condemned Israel's military tactics, saying its war machine relies on starvation, destruction, and relentless bombardment, in flagrant defiance of international law. "Israel wants to turn Gaza into an unlivable place," he said.
He added that Egypt will continue coordinating efforts with Qatar and the US to push for a ceasefire in the besieged enclave.
His comments came as the Israeli occupation army launched a new wide-scale operation in the Gaza Strip. Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of air strikes and intense artillery shelling across northern Gaza, claiming the offensive aims to "free hostages and dismantle the terrorist organisation Hamas."
Meanwhile, negotiations on a possible prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha last week. Hopes were high following Hamas's release of American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander on Monday, with US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators backing the process.
However, reports emerged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains adamant in rejecting any proposal that would require the Israeli army to halt its war on Gaza. The stance has raised fears that the negotiations may collapse and that Israel will continue its assault on the territory.
