Sisi: Israeli-Palestinian conflict stresses UN failure
Egyptian president tells General Assembly that his country supports body but doubts its credibility
The continued Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a sign of the United Nations’ failure in conflict resolution, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the world body’s General Assembly.
“We cannot talk about the peaceful settlement of disputes as a founding principle of the UN and an indicator of its credibility, without addressing the Palestinian cause,” he said at the start of General Assembly’s opening session on Tuesday.
“It stands as a perfect example of the failure of the international system to find a just solution to the conflict based on international legitimacy and international resolutions that guarantee the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
“The terms of reference of a just solution are well known; there is no time to waste on such a debate. What is required is political will to resume negotiations and achieve a settlement in accordance with these parameters.
“Let me repeat what I have said in previous years on this platform: The Arabs are still extending a hand in peace. Our peoples deserve to turn this tragic page in history, and the Palestinian people deserve to exercise their legitimate rights,” Sisi said.
He spoke just one day after meeting with US President Donald Trump, who emphasized to him that the US would continue to closely work with Egypt on challenging regional and international issues.
“We’re getting along great,” Trump said in a brief statement to the media.
Sisi was also expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UNGA.
The Egyptian leader told the UN on Tuesday that Egypt supports the UN but doubts its credibility, because his region is threatened by terrorism and the disintegration of the nation-state.
“There can be no way forward achieving an effective international order, if its main constituent unit, the nationstate, which is premised on the notions of citizenship, democracy and equality, is in danger of disintegration,” Sisi said.
“The disintegration of nations as the result of civil strife or regression to sectarian loyalties instead of national identity is responsible for the most dangerous phenomenon in our contemporary world, including armed conflicts, human trafficking, illegal migration, organized crime and illicit trade in arms and drug trafficking.
“There is no doubt that the Arab region is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the dangers of nation-state disintegration and the ensuing creation of a fertile environment for terrorism and the exacerbation of sectarian conflict.
“Thus, preserving and reforming the foundation of the state is a fundamental priority of Egypt’s foreign policy in the Arab region.
“There can be no way out of the crisis in Syria or the plight in Yemen, except by restoring the nation-state, preserving its sovereignty and state institutions achieving the legitimate aspirations of its people,” Sisi said.