Egypt hoped to forge an "international consensus" calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and respect for international law at the "peace summit" it organized on Saturday, October 21, in the new administrative capital of Cairo. It failed to do so: The summit, attended by heads of state, ministers and diplomats, mainly from Europe and the Arab world, ended without a final joint statement. The meeting underlined the divergence between Arab and European countries on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
On the Arab side, several leaders berated the "double standards" of Western countries, which they criticize, through the unconditional support for Israel shown by the United States and various European leaders, for remaining apathetic with respect to Palestinian victims of Israeli bombardments and the total siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. "Anywhere else, attacking civilian infrastructures and deliberately starving an entire population [by depriving them] of food, water and basic necessities would be condemned," denounced King Abdullah II of Jordan with a tone of rare virulence.
On the European side, several leaders, including European Council President Charles Michel, reaffirmed "Israel's right to defend itself" after "the ignoble terrorist attack carried out by Hamas." But Michel added that the "right to defend itself must be exercised in line with international law and with international humanitarian law."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attempted a balancing act. "Nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorized Israeli civilians, which terrorized Israeli civilians," he said, referring to the Islamist movement's bloody incursion on October 7. Before adding: "These abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," while the Gaza Strip is subjected to a deluge of Israeli fire. The Israeli army, which is promising to destroy Hamas, announced on Saturday that it was stepping up its strikes.
Each side at the conference wanted more: the statement issued by the Egyptian presidency at the end of the summit deplored the deaths of "thousands of innocent civilians on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides", and lamented the "incomprehensible hesitation in denouncing" the deaths of Palestinian civilians. "The right of the Palestinian person," it said, "is not excluded from others whom the rules of international humanitarian law include." The Europeans, for their part, were hoping for a clear condemnation of Hamas. But it is difficult for Arab representatives to formulate such a condemnation today as the movement's popularity has soared in the streets, which support the Palestinian cause.
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