Egypt discusses Gaza with Tunisia, Palestine and Czech

Egypt is one of the few countries in the Arab world which is not only openly opposing Israel’s stance on both Gaza and the war now in Iran, but is also beefing up its own diplomacy in the region.

According to Egypt Today, on June 16th the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, held separate phone calls with foreign ministers of Tunisia, Palestine and Czech to discuss escalating regional conflict in the Middle East- primarily Gaza but also the more recent attacks between Israel and Iran.

Egypt Today is owned by a larger media company, who in turn is owned by the General Intelligence Service, an Egyptian intelligence agency and secret police force. The outlet generally writes in favour of the government and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

In his conversation with the Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti, Dr. Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s commitment to increasing and expanding bilateral cooperation with Tunisia.

According to Egypt Today, they discussed various sectors including economic, trade, and investment partnerships.

The Egyptian and Tunisian foreign ministers agreed to have regular meetings of joint committees, and reiterated the importance of ties between the two nations in the context of wider, regional Arab cooperation.

Dr. Abdelatty also discussed strengthening ties between Egypt and Czech with Czech’s Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. The Egyptian minister referenced potential for further Czech investment and deeper ties with trade and tourism, according to Egypt Today.

With the Tunisian and Czech foreign ministers, and the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. Mohamed Mostafa, Dr. Abdeletty discussed Israel’s actions in Gaza and the recent conflict between Israel and Iran.

Egypt’s official stance on the war in Gaza has always been supportive of the rights of Palestinians to self-determination. On May 20th, Egypt, along with Pakistan, condemned Israel’s program in Gaza and called for the flow of humanitarian aid to be uninterrupted.

In his phone call with Dr. Mostafa, Dr. Abdelatty reviewed Egypt’s efforts to resume the ceasefire in Gaza, and described Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid including food as “grave violations of international, humanitarian law”, according to Egypt Today. 

Mohamed Ali Nafti and Jan Lipavský of Tunisia and Czech were also briefed on Egypt’s diplomatic efforts in Gaza.

With all three foreign ministers, Dr. Adbelatty raised the more recent and quickly escalating issue of the Israel and Iran’s strikes on each other, which started on June 13th. 

Maghrebi reported on June 16th that Egypt is on high alert in regard to its military and air defence system because they fear the Israel and Iran conflict spilling over into a wider regional conflict that more nations will be drawn into. 

With the foreign ministers he spoke to on June 16th, Dr. Adbelatty emphasised the importance of unified efforts towards de-escalation and promoting solutions based on diplomacy. 

Egypt has played the role of mediator previously, in the Gaza conflict negotiations, and although the nation has publicly condemned Israel’s actions, it is not unforeseeable that they play a role in easing tensions in this instance between Israel and Iran.

Egypt Today/Maghrebi