Egypt, Saudi Arabia call for immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon

Cairo - Ma'an - The Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called on Wednesday evening for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. This came in a joint statement between the two countries, according to the Egyptian presidency, the day after the visit of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to Cairo, during which he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and discussed regional developments, most notably the situations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The two sides expressed their deep concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, and the brutal war that the Strip is witnessing, which has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 innocent civilians, martyrs and wounded, as a result of the heinous attacks committed by the Israeli occupation forces. They stressed the need to seek a sustainable truce, a permanent ceasefire, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and protecting civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law. The two sides condemned the repeated Israeli attacks on Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, expressing their categorical rejection of any attempts to change the historical, religious and legal status quo. They stressed the need to intensify efforts to reach a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, in a way that guarantees the Palestinian people their right to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The two sides welcomed the positive decisions taken by a number of countries to recognize the State of Palestine, and renewed their call to the remaining countries that have not yet recognized the Palestinian State to hasten to take similar steps, which would contribute to supporting a reliable path to achieving just peace and fulfilling the legitimate rights of the Palesti nian people. The two sides also expressed their deep concern over the Israeli escalation in Lebanon, and stressed their keenness on the security, stability and unity of Lebanese territory, and the preservation of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of the international community, especially the UN Security Council, assuming its responsibilities and working to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Lebanon, and to prevent the expansion of the scope of the current conflict in the region. Source: Maan News Agency