Egypt Confirms the Importance of Mobilizing International Support for the Palestinian Authority During Donors Conference

SadaNews - Egypt and Palestine discussed on Saturday the ongoing preparations for mobilizing international support for the Palestinian Authority during the upcoming "International Donors Conference" next week.

These consultations coincided with Egyptian-European talks aimed at "creating international support for the Palestinian Authority not only at the financing level but also in establishing the presence of Palestine as a future independent state, despite the ongoing Israeli escalation," according to Mohamed Hegazi, a member of the "Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs" and former Assistant Foreign Minister in an interview with "Asharq Al-Awsat".

On Saturday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that a phone call took place between Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, during which they exchanged views on the developments in the Gaza Strip. The call also addressed the ongoing preparations for the donors conference scheduled to be held in Brussels this July.

Abdel Aati affirmed "Egypt's full support for the Palestinian government and the importance of mobilizing international financial support for the Palestinian National Authority, which enables it to fulfill its responsibilities, provide essential services to the Palestinian people, and contribute to enhancing their steadfastness and supporting stability in the Palestinian territories."

Hegazi believes that "the preparations for the Brussels meeting to mobilize international support for the Palestinian Authority come at a pivotal moment in the developments in the Middle East, where the paths of the ceasefire in Gaza, U.S. efforts to launch new security and regional arrangements, and Arab efforts to restore the Palestinian cause as the true entrance to regional stability intersect."

He emphasizes that reducing the donors conference to a mere opportunity to provide financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority loses much of its strategic significance. He points out that the importance of the Brussels conference extends beyond the limits of funding, making it a clear political message that the international community still sees the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate institution capable of managing the Palestinian territories, coupled with a parallel message to Israel that undermining the Palestinian Authority is no longer an acceptable option.

About a week ago, the spokesperson for the European Union in Jerusalem, Shadi Othman, spoke to "Voice of Palestine" radio about the start of preparations for the International Donors Conference on July 12; aimed at gathering support for the two-state solution and supporting the financial needs of the Palestinian National Authority.

These statements came a day after a visit by the European Commissioner for Mediterranean Affairs, Dubravka Suica, to Ramallah, as part of a regional tour to discuss the European-Palestinian partnership and the current situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

At that time, the Palestinian Prime Minister emphasized to Suica that "the financial and economic blockade poses a serious threat to the ability of Palestinian institutions to continue, as Israel continues to illegally withhold Palestinian tax revenues amounting to nearly $6 billion, in addition to freezing about $5 billion of Palestinian bank funds that the Israeli central bank refuses to accept, costing the Palestinian economy a loss of up to $11 billion annually."

The Palestinian cause was present on the agenda of the political consultations between the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, according to a statement from the "Egyptian Foreign Ministry" on Saturday.

Abdel Aati affirmed "the importance of refocusing international efforts on the Palestinian cause, to create the conditions for the full implementation of the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan - which began in October 2023 - and to move to the second phase."

Meanwhile, Hegazi believes that the Egyptian and European moves confirm that support for the Palestinian Authority has become part of the equation for rebuilding the region, and not just a response to a financial crisis, considering that one cannot talk about a more stable Middle East while Palestinian institutions collapse, nor can long-term economic and security alliances be built while Gaza remains devastated.

The Egyptian role stands out as the most consistent with the requirements of the phase; since the outbreak of the war, Cairo has refused to separate between the humanitarian and political tracks. It has emphasized that the ceasefire must be coupled with a reconstruction plan, enabling the Palestinian Authority, preserving the unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, rejecting displacement, and launching a serious political process that ends with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Today, Egypt is moving in the same direction by supporting the Brussels conference as a foundational step that paves the way for a larger international conference to rebuild Gaza once a ceasefire is secured, according to Hegazi.

A member of the "Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs" stressed that the real challenge lies not in gathering billions of dollars, but in building international will that transforms these resources into a historic opportunity to reinvigorate the Palestinian national project, revive the two-state solution, and reintegrate the Palestinian cause into the heart of new regional security arrangements.

He explained that the upcoming conference either becomes the beginning of a transition from "managing conflict" to "building peace", from "temporary relief" to "sustainable development", from reactions to a comprehensive strategic vision, or it will remain just a fleeting financial stop in a series of recurring crises.