French President Emmanuel Macron is to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday on the latest leg of a whistle-stop crisis tour, Macron’s office said.
In an official statement from the royal court, the king urged global powers to exert pressure on Israel to halt its airstrikes on Gaza’s civilians and lift the siege affecting more than two million inhabitants. Moreover, Jordan’s King warned about the persistence of the Gaza conflict, which could result in a regional escalation.
Macron visited Israel on Tuesday. He voiced support for for its harsh retaliation to Hamas after gunmen from the Islamist group unleashed the deadliest attack on Israel in its history on October 7. He also visited the occupied West Bank.
The French leader met King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman before leaving for Egypt, one of the leading brokers in efforts to secure the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of his meeting with Macron, Sisi inspected Egyptian troops and spoke of “patience” and “wisdom” in a televised address.
“You must always be ready,” the Egyptian president told the armed forces, three days after an Egyptian border watchtower was hit and guards were wounded by accidental Israeli shelling.
He also said Egypt was doing “all it can” to push for de-escalation and a ceasefire, as well as “support civilians in Gaza” by securing aid through the Rafah border crossing, the only passage in and out of the territory not controlled by Israel.
Sisi said the military exercise was initially planned for the 50th anniversary of the “glorious victory” of October 6, 1973, the date of a surprise attack that led to Egypt regaining control of the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli occupation.
In the Camp David Accords 1978, Egypt became the first Arab state to recognize Israel and normalize relations.
Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP
