3/9/2024–|Last update: 3/9/202407:39 PM (Makkah Time)
Egypt has rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusations that it is turning a blind eye to arms smuggling into Gaza via the Philadelphi Corridor, considering it an attempt to obstruct a ceasefire in the Strip, while Qatar and Jordan expressed their solidarity with Cairo in this regard.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it expresses its complete rejection of Netanyahu’s statements “through which he tried to drag Egypt’s name into distracting Israeli public opinion, obstructing the reaching of a ceasefire deal and prisoner exchange, and obstructing the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.”
The ministry stressed “Egypt’s rejection of all allegations made by Israeli officials in this regard” and held “the Israeli government responsible for issuing such statements that further aggravate the situation and aim to justify aggressive and provocative policies, which lead to further escalation in the region.”
Cairo News Channel recently quoted a senior Egyptian source as saying that his country “renewed its confirmation to all concerned parties that it would not accept any Israeli presence at the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi corridor.”
For its part, Qatar expressed its full solidarity with Egypt, and its rejection of Netanyahu dragging its name into the matter to distract Israeli public opinion and obstruct mediation.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli occupation’s approach of falsifying facts and misleading the world with lies will lead to the destruction of peace and the expansion of violence.
Statement: Qatar expresses full solidarity with Egypt regarding unacceptable statements by Israeli Prime Minister#Qatari_Foreign_Ministry pic.twitter.com/k7I5TWisxo
— Qatari Foreign Ministry (@MofaQatar_AR) September 3, 2024
Jordan also expressed its solidarity with Cairo, and expressed its rejection of Netanyahu’s statements, describing them as false and baseless, and aimed at obstructing the Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation efforts.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry confirmed – in a statement issued today, Tuesday – its support for Cairo’s position in this context, holding the Israeli government responsible for the consequences of launching such allegations.
Netanyahu’s statements
In his press conference yesterday, Netanyahu said that achieving the goals of the war on Gaza passes through the Philadelphi corridor, stressing that his forces will not withdraw from it.
Netanyahu added that “the moment we left the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, it had no barrier to the massive infiltration of weapons, war materials, machinery needed to manufacture rockets, and machinery needed to dig tunnels.”
The Israeli Prime Minister pointed out that all of this is under the auspices of Iran, its direction and its funding, and Gaza has become a huge threat to Israel because there was no barrier on the Philadelphi Corridor.
He also said that what he described as the “axis of evil” needs this axis and therefore he is not prepared to abandon it, considering that the entry of the Israeli army into the axis forced Hamas to change its position in the negotiations, according to his expression.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for months, but they have not resulted in an agreement because Israel has rejected the movement’s demand to end the war, withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and return displaced Palestinians to the north of the Strip.
