Hommam Al Nassim 
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and France published a joint article in the Egyptian newspaper “Al-Ahram”, the Jordanian “Al-Rai”, the French “Le Monde”, and the American “Washington Post”, including a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and French President Emmanuel Macron demanded the implementation of Security Council resolutions related to the crisis, warning of “serious consequences” for any possible attack in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The three leaders noted that the continuation of the war in Gaza and the catastrophic human suffering that accompanies it must stop immediately, warning of the worsening humanitarian and regional risks and consequences of any escalation in the region.
The three leaders’ call came in the context of escalating tensions in the Gaza Strip, where some fear a possible Israeli assault on the city of Rafah, which could add to the human toll and suffering in the area.
Here is the full text of the article:
The war in Gaza and the catastrophic human suffering it is causing must end now. Violence, terrorism, and war cannot bring peace to the Middle East. But a two-state solution will achieve this, as it is the only reliable way to ensure peace and security for all, and to ensure that neither Palestinians nor Israelis have to live again the atrocities that have befallen them since the October 7 attacks.
Ten days ago, the UN Security Council finally assumed its responsibility by demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a crucial step that must be fully implemented without further delay.
We, the leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan, in light of the intolerable human losses, call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2728 and stress the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
We stress the urgent need to implement the Security Council’s demand for the immediate release of all hostages, and reaffirm our support for negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States on a ceasefire and for hostages and detainees.
While we urge all parties to abide by all relevant Security Council resolutions, we warn of the grave consequences of the Israeli offensive on Rafah, to which more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have been displaced. Such an attack would only lead to more death and suffering, increase the risks and consequences of mass forced displacement of Gaza’s population, and threaten regional escalation.
While reaffirming our equal respect for all lives and condemning all violations and abuses of international humanitarian law, including all acts of violence, terrorism, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, we reaffirm that the protection of civilians is an enduring legal obligation of all parties and a cornerstone of international humanitarian law, and that any violation of this obligation is strictly prohibited.
Palestinians in Gaza are no longer just at risk of famine, famine has already begun, and there is an urgent need for a dramatic increase in the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance. This is a key requirement of UN Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728, which emphasize the urgent need to expand aid supplies.
UN agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and humanitarian actors play a critical role in humanitarian operations in Gaza. They must be protected and given full access, including to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. We therefore condemn the killing of humanitarian workers, including the recent attack on the Global Central Kitchen aid convoy.
In line with international law, Israel is obligated to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, but Israel has failed to fulfill this responsibility. We reiterate the Security Council’s demand that obstacles to humanitarian assistance be lifted, and that Israel immediately facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance through all crossing points, including in the northern Gaza Strip, through a direct land corridor from Jordan, as well as by sea.
We, the leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan, are determined to continue to intensify our efforts to address the humanitarian, medical and health needs of the civilian population in Gaza, in close coordination with the UN system and regional partners.
Finally, we stress the urgent need to restore hope for peace and security for all in the region, in particular for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, and we affirm our determination to continue to work together to avoid further regional repercussions, we call on all actors to refrain from any escalatory action, and we urge an end to all unilateral measures, including settlement activity and land confiscation. We also urge Israel to prevent settler violence.
We also stress the need to respect the historical and legal status quo in Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and the role of the Jordanian Waqf under the Hashemite Custodianship.
We reaffirm our determination to intensify our joint efforts to effectively implement the two-State solution. The only way to achieve genuine peace is the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the two-State solution, in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, living side by side in peace and security with Israel. The United Nations Security Council must play a role in reopening the horizon for peace decisively.
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