French President Emmanuel Macron began a series of diplomatic meetings in Cairo today aimed at supporting the Arab plan for Gaza and pushing for the lifting of the blockade on humanitarian supplies to the Palestinian enclave, AFP reported, BTA reports.
Macron, who supports a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist movement “Hamas“, met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The two leaders had dinner the previous evening at Cairo's famous souk “Khan el-Khalili“ a gesture that the French presidency described as a strong symbol of friendship on the part of the Egyptian leader.
Later today, they are expected to be joined by Jordan's King Abdullah II for a trilateral summit.
French diplomacy sees these initiatives as a way to demonstrate Paris' solidarity with Egypt and Jordan - the two countries bordering the Gaza Strip - and as proof that France and its Arab partners are seeking concrete and practical solutions to the crisis.
Egypt and Jordan have expressed concern about the US project for the future of Gaza, proposed by former President Donald Trump. The plan envisages the resettlement of the Palestinian population to neighboring Arab countries and placing the enclave under US control with a vision of turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East“, recalls AFP.
Meanwhile, today at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who supports the American plan, will meet with the current US president.