Egyptian, French FMs stress importance of restoring Gaza ceasefire, ensuring humanitarian aid access
CAIRO, June 27 (MENA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stressed the urgent need to restore the ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, as living conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave continue to deteriorate.
Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Tamim Khallaf, said that during a phone call on Thursday, the two ministers discussed recent developments in Gaza, following the ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.
During the telephone conversation, they addressed key regional developments and explored avenues to further strengthen ties between Egypt and France.
Abdelatty highlighted the genuine efforts spearheaded by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to swiftly secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, underscoring the critical role of the international community in halting Israeli aggression in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The ministers also addressed the issue of Palestinian state recognition, Barrot updated his Egyptian counterpart on preparations for the upcoming high-level international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, which aims to promote a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the implementation of the two-state solution.
Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's firm commitment to a just and sustainable solution, grounded in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with Al Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) as its capital.
The spokesperson added that the two ministers concurred on the necessity for both Iran and Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire, stressing the importance of concrete de-escalation measures to pave the way for renewed political and diplomatic initiatives.
They also commended the strategic partnership between Egypt and France, reaffirming their mutual commitment to consolidating bilateral ties in all domains. (MENA)
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Having had a late 1970s early 1980s childhood, Victory Day—6 October 1973—has never held for me any personal feeling of victory and delight, however it has been this and more for my parents and their friends who have lived the 1967 Six Day War and subsequent defeat, then the pride of Victory Day. On 6 October 1973 the Egyptian air force and army freed Egypt from the bitterness of its humiliating defeat at the hands of Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, bringing about a stunning military victory for Egypt. Despite my appreciation of the momentous historic value of that day, and despite its impact on my parent's generation, it never personally resonated with me. I had to wait till June 2013 to live my own cherished Victory Day. On 30 June 2013, Egyptians in their millions, my family and myself included, took to the streets to demonstrate against the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) two-year authority over Egypt, including one year of ruling the country. Someone who did not live in Egypt through that period might wonder what was it that was so unsettling about the MB rule? What drove millions of Egyptians to the streets to adamantly demand an end to their religious-based rule? After all, hadn't the MB Muhammad Mursi been democratically elected President in 2012? Wasn't this a healthy politically-needed democratic turn of events? Wasn't this the democracy Egyptians called for during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising? In reply to such questions and many more, I will tell you why I jolted myself up from my 'couch', relinquished my passive political silence, and took the, for me, drastic step of taking to the street to protest against MB rule. My use of the term 'couch' references the expression en vogue in Egypt in 2011 – 2013: 'the couch [political] party'; it was used critically to imply the laziness and apathy of the silent majority, the large segment of Egyptians who, through passivity and political disengagement, abandoned the political arena to activists or people who pushed their own agendas. The first time for me to leave the comfort passivity of my 'couch' was in November 2012—five months into President Mursi's rule—when he issued his notorious constitutional declaration granting himself sweeping powers, and placing his decisions above judicial review. One month later, he and his MB allies pushed in a new constitution for Egypt, one which gave provisions for religious interpretations of laws, and failed to protect minorities especially Christians and women. As a Christian and a woman, I felt that this threatened my very existence and freedoms, and I refused to join the scores of Christians who started touting the opinion that the only answer would be for them to leave Egypt and emigrate. After all, it seemed very far-fetched that the MB, once in power, would ever allow the 'democracy' that brought them in to oust them out; one needed but look at Hamas in neighbouring Gaza and at other religious-based groups to realise that the MB would never ever relinquish power. I felt the need to express my alarm and absolute disapproval of the ruling regime's policy and decisions. I had to make my voice heard, even though I could not clearly see its impact. My husband, himself a 'couch party' member, was sceptical of my participation in a protest, believing it would subject me to nuisances and hazards, and probably achieve nothing. I agreed, but it was also my only chance to express my rejection of the ruling regime. As the days passed, the situation in Egypt got worse; the economy took severe blows; prices spiralled, and power cuts and fuel shortages were all-too frequent. Worse, the security situation declined abysmally, which was very much unlike Egypt. Fear gripped us for our security and that of our children, especially when we felt the tense relationship between the regime on one hand and the police and military on the other. It was also very distressing to see how Egypt was losing grounds in international circles owing to Mr Mursi's foreign policy and his frequent missteps. Worst of all, however, it became alarmingly unsettling to witness the high regard in which he and his regime held Hamas and religious causes and regimes. Our 'Egyptian' President had no loyalty or regard to his Egyptian identity; he gave precedence to his Islamism. By March 2012, a grassroots campaign fanned out on social media under the logo 'Tamarud', literally 'Rebellion', calling for a massive revolt against Mr Mursi and MB rule on 30 June 2013 which marked one year since his inauguration in 2012. Tamarud appeared to be exactly what we were looking for; we were very eager to join, we felt that enough was enough. By 'we' I mean an unimaginably large number of 'couch party' individuals; almost everyone said, personally or on social media, that they intended to join. This time, my husband eagerly joined me in the protests. Our demands centred on the resignation of Mr Mursi; holding early presidential elections that would bring in a government representative of all Egyptians; protection of the sovereignty of the judiciary; and addressing the growing daily life crises once and for all. We aspired for drastic change, we were not willing to contemplate leaving our Egypt as a way out of the quagmire. Hopeful? Yes we were, but never in our wildest dreams could we have believed that the outcome would be what transpired on the ground on 30 June 2013. That day, millions upon millions of Egyptians took to the streets nationwide. The numbers were unprecedented. In Cairo, the focus was to gather in the central Tahrir Square, but none of us were able to make our way there. Mobile phones carried the same message from far flung spots in the metropolis that is Cairo. 'We've gone down only to find huge crowds, but they were at a standstill, no one was moving forward.' Finally, we discovered that all the paths up to Tahrir were already occupied by the masses, so we had to stick to where we were. Yet the crowds were absolutely peaceful, no complaints, no harassment; instead an unusual spirit of unity and camaraderie. On 1 July, the military issued a public ultimatum to Mr Mursi to come up with a political solution within 48 hours, or else the military would step in, given that civil unrest threatened the country. The protests grew larger, but Mr Mursi arrogantly, and unwisely, rejected the ultimatum. Two days later, on 3 July 2013, the military stepped in, Mr Mursi was removed, and a roadmap was announced by General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, then Minister of Defence and Commander of the Armed Forces. He was surrounded by political, religious and civic figures, who had all shared in drawing up the roadmap. giving it legitimacy. Following the televised address, we again took to the streets, this time with our children, basking in feelings of pride, relief and jubilation that, with the backing of our armed forces, we were on the road to recover our beloved Egypt. Since then, 30 June has been a day that marks peaceful people power and pride, delight and victory—our generation's very own Victory Day. The year 2025 marks 12 years on that memorable day 30 June 2013. I can but contemplate the Middle East map and the current turmoil in all the countries on Egypt's borders and even beyond. All of them have lived through disastrous unrest under religious-based rule; they have not recovered to this day. Catastrophic internal strife rages unmercifully on their lands, forcing their suffering people to flee their homes or risk their lives and livelihoods. Egypt alone has escaped this fate. Through divine providence, the resolve of the people, and their loyal army at their back, Egypt is today a free, civic State that, despite hardship, lives in peace. Watani International 29 June 2025 Comments comments Tags: 30 June 201330 June RevolutionDalia Victor
