Egypt, as one of the most important mediators, is holding a summit on the crisis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday; the absence of a high-ranking representative of Israel’s main ally, the United States, is forcing expectations to be disappointed.
The convened Cairo peace summit, which is taking place amid the ongoing conflict, will be attended by heads of state and government of several Arab and European countries, as well as foreign ministers.
At the same time, China will be represented by Zhai Jun, envoy for Middle East affairs, and Russia will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend the conference. At the same time, the presence of the French head is still in doubt.
European Council President Charles Michel and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell plan to travel to Cairo, but they were both in Washington on Friday, which presents some difficulties.
Clashes on Israel’s border with Lebanon and attempted attacks by Iranian-backed forces elsewhere have heightened fears of the conflict spreading, especially if a ground offensive proves bloody, and growing anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic harassment around the world has raised security concerns in many countries.
Egypt is trying hard to funnel humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, the only crossing not controlled by Israel, but aid is piling up on the Egyptian side.
On Wednesday president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that millions of Egyptians would be against the forcible transfer of Palestinians to Sinai, adding that any such move would turn the Egyptian peninsula into a base for targeting Israel. Egypt’s position reflects Arab fears that Palestinians could again flee their homes en masse, as they did during the 1948 war to establish Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli officials have said they will destroy Hamas in revenge for the assault. But Israel has no obvious end goal and no clear plan for how to govern the Palestinian enclave afterwards.
The summit is set to be opened by the Egyptian president at 10 a.m. Saturday.
