CAIRO — Saudi Arabia and Egypt roundly rejected the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and urged Israel to stop the aggression on unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip. In a joint press conference after the Egyptian-Saudi consultations in Cairo on Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry emphasized that the priority of both the countries is to stop the fighting in Gaza and bringing in aid there. The Egyptian-Saudi consultations at the level of the foreign ministers of the two countries focused on the situation in the region that poses a threat to the countries of the region. The foreign ministers stressed the importance of coordination between the two countries on regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue. In his speech, Prince Faisal bin Farhan underlined the need for a resolution from the part of the international community that binds everyone regarding the Palestinians, stressing that the collective punishment of the Palestinian people is a gross violation of international law. He stressed the need to continue pressure, along with other Arab countries, to protect the Palestinian people. For his part, Shoukry emphasized the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. He also called for lifting the siege and stopping collective punishment and forced displacement of Palestinians. "The international community must deter what Israel is doing in terms of not adhering to any of the resolutions and throwing the region into a spiral of violence. Violence and war must be stopped and the entry of humanitarian aid must be allowed in line with the UN Security Council resolutions," he said. Shoukry underlined the need for resolving the Gaza crisis in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution, and ensuring the access of humanitarian aid. Referring to the situation in the Red Sea, he underscored the need to adhere to the security of maritime navigation away from tension in the region. "The Egyptian-Saudi discussions dealt with the situation in Sudan and the necessity of a complete ceasefire, the resumption of aid, and a return to the political track," he said while rejecting any measures that threaten the security, independence, and sovereignty of Sudan. Regarding the issue of the Renaissance Dam, Shukri said that the Ethiopian side backed away from what was agreed upon regarding the dam, stressing the need to reach a binding legal agreement. The two sides also discussed the situation in Libya and Syria and a number of files of common interest. Earlier on the day, Prince Faisal held a bilateral meeting with his Egyptian counterpart before the start of the meeting of the follow-up and political consultation committee between Egypt and Saudi Arabia at the level of foreign ministers. The meeting discussed the developing mechanisms for bilateral cooperation at all political, economic, security and cultural levels, in addition to coordination regarding international and regional issues, especially the situation in Gaza.
