PARIS, (PIC)
French President Emmanuel Macron met at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the delegation of the ministerial committee delegated by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and discussed with them the developments of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Macron reiterated his position on the necessity of ceasefire in Gaza, the release of prisoners, the delivery of aid and the two-state solution, and he believes in no alternative to permanent peace, according to Al-Jazeera.
The CIA director, William Burns, and the head of the Israeli Mossad, arrived in Paris to hold meetings to revive the negotiations on ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the prisoner exchange deal after Israel retracted on the understandings of the last deal after being accepted by Hamas earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the members of the committee delegated by the Arab-Islamic Summit discussed with Macron the serious developments in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression and the need to intensify international efforts to immediately and completely stop the aggression.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry added that the members of the Ministerial Committee stressed the need to recognize the Palestinian state on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, said in a post on X, that he, along with members of the ministerial committee, discussed with Macron the necessary ways to find a solution to the worsening humanitarian conditions and reach a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The French presidency said in a statement that Macron held talks with the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan, Egypt Sameh Shoukry and Jordan Ayman Al-Safadi, in which they discussed “political pressure that can be followed in order to reopen all the crossings in Gaza, and the ways to enhance and deepen their cooperation to allow entry of humanitarian aid.”
The discussions also touched on “the actual implementation of the two-state solution, which is the only way to ensure peace and security for the State of Israel and to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians,” according to the statement.
Macron reiterated his “opposition to the Israeli operation in Rafah,” calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all detainees in the Gaza Strip.”
The French President also condemned in the strongest terms the recent developments on settlement activity in the West Bank, affirming “France’s intention to tighten the sanctions in this regard especially at the European level.”
The joint ministerial committee was established in November 2023 during the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit to rally international support toward an end to the war on Gaza.
