Egypt’s al-Sisi: ‘The Arab Peace Initiative is still on the table’

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi urged the international community to act towards the establishment of a Palestinian state and said the Arab Peace Initiative was “still on the table,” during his address to the UN general assembly on Tuesday.

Al-Sisi called the plight of the Palestinian people “the longest standing crisis in the Middle East” and said it will continue until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

He added that until the establishment of a Palestinian state, there will continue to be a “depletion of the resources of the peoples of the Middle East.”

Al-Sisi said that the Arab Peace Initiative, a proposal for the end to the Israel-Palestine conflict endorsed by the Arab League in 2002, is “still on the table.”

“There remains an opportunity to launch a new face in the Middle East. However we need bold decisions that restore the rights to the Palestinians, that pave the way for a major change in the reality of this region,” said Al-Sisi.

Egypt’s leader also reiterated his country’s condemnation for the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil installations on September 14.

He called upon the international community to confront terrorism and extremism, and addressed the conflict in Libya, saying work needs to be done to prevent the intervention of external actors in the country. He called for the unification of all Libyan institutions and for the ending of the rule of militias.