Egypt urges pressuring Israel to end its Gaza blockade: FM to The Elders - Foreign Affairs
The meeting took place on Monday on the sidelines of the "High-Level International Conference on Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and Implementation of the Two-State Solution" at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
During the meeting, Abdelatty detailed Egypt's vision for addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and its efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement that ends Israel's genocidal war, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also discussed Egypt's preparations for hosting the International Conference on the Early Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza, which will be held once a ceasefire is reached.
FM Abdelatty welcomed the group's planned visit to Arish and the Rafah crossing in August.
He stressed the need to build on the momentum of the conference and advance efforts to implement the two-state solution and ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meeting with Lebanon's Mitri
FM Abdelatty also met with Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, affirming Egypt's support for Lebanon's security and stability amid the challenges the country is facing.
He stressed Egypt's commitment to providing all kinds of support to the Lebanese government and national institutions to help restore Lebanon's security.
FM Abdelatty further expressed Cairo's readiness to work with Lebanon on achieving its national priorities to fulfil the aspirations of the Lebanese people.
The foreign minister also articulated Egypt's desire to enhance bilateral cooperation with Lebanon across various fields, looking forward to convening the Joint Higher Committee between both countries at the level of prime ministers in Cairo as soon as possible.
Additionally, he affirmed Egypt's rejection of any violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing the urgency for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon completely and immediately.
The two sides also discussed developments in the Gaza Strip, with Abdelatty reviewing Egypt's efforts to achieve a ceasefire that would ensure the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into the strip to end the worsening famine there.
Egypt's top diplomat also reviewed Egypt's plans to host an international conference on Gaza reconstruction, in cooperation with the Palestinian government and the United Nations, immediately after a ceasefire is reached.
During his speech at the conference on Monday, Abdelatty affirmed that the event succeeded in mobilizing a broad international consensus in support of an independent Palestinian state, despite being held at a critical moment as Gaza struggles to survive under famine.
Abdelatty also lauded the 'courageous' declaration by French President Emmanuel Macron to recognize the State of Palestine.
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Egypt Independent
35 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Trump's tariffs are sending African countries into China's hands
Africa is adjusting to the new reality of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, with countries on the continent facing some of the highest export charges. But what could become a crisis is an opportunity for United States rival China, which has long courted African countries and is now offering them a lifeline. 'We (Africa) are going straight into the hands of China,' Nigerian economist Bismarck Rewane told CNN. 'That is the unfortunate outcome,' Rewane said of Africa's expected further shift toward China, which has emerged in recent years as the continent's largest bilateral trading partner. Four African nations – Libya, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia – face some of the steepest tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, with charges on exports ranging from 25 percent to 30 percent. Eighteen other countries from the continent were hit with 15 percent levies, a modified tariff package released Thursday by the White House showed. In April, when the US import levies were first announced, Trump pitched them as 'reciprocal' and targeting countries that he said had trade deficits with the US. But Trump instead based his tariffs on countries' trade deficits with the United States – not the tariffs they charge. South Africa, one of the continent's powerhouses, challenged the imposition of a 30 percent tariff on its US-bound exports, saying Trump's decision was not based on 'an accurate representation of available trade data.' An opportunity for China China has offered to soften the impact of US tariffs on Africa, saying in June it would halt charges on imports for nearly all its African partners. 'There is no other opportunity for African countries to strengthen South-South trade (among developing nations) than now,' South African researcher Neo Letswalo told CNN, while urging countries to 'solely turn to China and make it the next US.' 'America is gradually forfeiting its global leadership status,' Letswalo said, adding that the more countries 'become less dependent on the US, the greater opportunity for China to become an alternative.' Before the tariff deadline, the US did not make a trade deal with any African nation despite efforts from the continent to avoid the tariffs, underscoring Africa's place on the White House's priority list. Letswalo described America's failure to negotiate a deal with Africa as 'an open goal for China.' The impact of Trump's tariffs is already being felt in some of Africa's most buoyant economies and some of the continent's poorest, such as Lesotho, which was slapped with a 15 percent tariff. It had previously been hit with a 50 percent tariff – one of the steepest rates – before the charges were modified. Lesotho's Prime Minister Samuel Matekane said in June that the huge tariff, combined with the halt of US aid to the nation of just over 2 million people, 'have crippled industries that previously sustained thousands of jobs.' Trump has described Lesotho, a landlocked nation surrounded by South Africa, as a country 'nobody has ever heard of' – even though trade between the US and Lesotho totaled over $240 million last year, mostly in textiles. A worker executes her duties at the Afri-Expo Textile Factory, which makes clothing for the U.S. market, on the outskirts of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, July 9, 2025. Siyabonga Sishi/Reuters Before the tariffs, Lesotho benefited from a US trade agreement that allowed it and other eligible sub-Saharan countries to export goods to the US duty-free. Authorities in Lesotho have declared a two-year national state of disaster over the tariffs, as the country braces for their impact, with the textile industry already grappling with massive job losses. Thousands of roles are also threatened in Lesotho's richer neighbor, South Africa, where citrus growers said they were gripped with 'great anxiety' ahead of the August 1 tariff deadline. In a statement this week, the country's Citrus Growers' Association (CGA) warned that 'job losses will be a certainty' if the tariffs came into effect. It added that, 'hundreds of thousands of cartons of citrus are ready in packhouses to be shipped to the US over the next few weeks,' and that implementing the charges 'will mean most of this fruit will be left unsold.' Distribution workers pack tangerines at Goede Hoop Citrus in Citrusdal, Western Cape province, South Africa, July 9, 2025. Esa Alexander/Reuters Other industries in South Africa, such as the automobile sector, also face the risk of economic shocks, analysts said. 'Already, we have companies within the automobile sector threatening to leave (the country) as a result of plummeting business,' Letswalo said. 'The tariffs will add to the burden of pre-existing issues, and if these entities decide to exit South Africa, our already existing unemployment calamities will worsen,' he said. Gwede Mantashe, South Africa's minister of mineral and petroleum resources, told reporters Tuesday that other routes are being sought for South African goods. 'If the US imposes high tariffs, we must look for alternative markets,' he said. 'Our biggest trading partner is China, not the US. The US is number two,' Mantashe added. As South Africa scouts for broader opportunities, however, the citrus growers' group has voiced its reservations, specifically that their products suit designated markets so finding another is not straightforward. Its CEO, Boitshoko Ntshabele, told CNN in a statement that 'the US market remains a priority, and so should improving access to China' and elsewhere. 'There is a deep appreciation of South African citrus by US consumers. Since 2017, our exports to that market have almost doubled. The market has immense potential,' Ntshabele added. Is reliance on China risky? Letswalo believes there are accompanying risks behind the enticing option of relying on Beijing to cushion the impact of Trump's tariffs. Alternating US with China 'could be risky,' he said, 'especially for some nascent industries within the (African) countries.' 'If they're not protected, Chinese products will flood and outcompete them as many African countries are price sensitive markets,' he warned. A large batch of goods, including dump trucks, is assembled at the Yantai Port for export to Africa on July 7, 2025 in Yantai, Shandong Province of China. Tang Ke/VCG/Getty Images China has imposed some imbalanced trade deals of its own in Africa with trade deficits skewed in its favor, according to the China-Global South Project (CGSP), an organization monitoring China's engagement with developing countries. Additionally, the bulk of Beijing's exports to Africa comprise mainly manufactured products, while the continent's exports to China are commonly raw materials. South Africa's Ramaphosa advocated for balanced trade with China when he met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last year. Letswalo advised that, while Africa leans on China for trade, it must also seek domestic alternatives. He recommended a swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an agreement signed by nations on the continent to boost trade among themselves. Although established in 2020, implementing AfCFTA has been slow, with just over 20 countries of the continent's 55 trading under the deal. Rewane believes that the US tariffs could inspire Africa 'to build economic resilience and be less dependent on lopsided trade.' Above all, he added, the continent must be 'more inward-looking rather than outward-dependent.'
Middle East
7 hours ago
- Middle East
OPEN// FM, US state secretary discuss bolstering bilateral ties
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Middle East
7 hours ago
- Middle East
OPEN// FM stresses Egypt's keenness to maintain consultation, coordination with US
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