It feels like it’s finally time to speak his truth. How unfortunate, however, is the fact that the moment of truth for Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has arrived only after the killing of over 40,000 Palestinians by Israel in less than one year.
According to reports, the Egyptian president has warned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the risk of the war in Gaza expanding regionally in a way “difficult to imagine”. “The ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region.
The time has come to end the war, and to resort to wisdom, and to uphold the language of peace and diplomacy.” No doubt, his are pearls of wisdom, so to speak. It is increasingly clear that Egypt’s economy has taken a big hit from Israel’s war on Gaza, although it was already in a state of crisis before October 7 happened last year.
The Red Sea tensions largely caused by the Houtis of Yemen have immensely harmed Egypt’s economy in the form of lost Suez Canal revenue with ships rerouting to avoid the body of water altogether. In my view, el-Sisi did not work hard enough to help arrange a ceasefire in the initial, and even later, weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The largest Arab country in terms of population is now unfortunately facing the specter of a massive political turmoil. In my view, el-Sisi needs to step up his efforts by reaching out to all Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey, to jointly exert pressure on the US to bring about a ceasefire immediately.
Naheed Rabbani (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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