Sydney – M E TIMES Int’l: King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and French President Emmanuel Macron called in a joint article published today for “the immediate and unconditional implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 2728, and we also stress the urgent need to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.” They called for Israel's commitment to ensuring the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population.

Here is the text of the article: “The war in Gaza and the catastrophic human suffering it is causing must end now.

Violence, terrorism and war cannot bring peace to the Middle East. But the two-state solution will. It is the only reliable way to ensure peace and security for all, and to ensure that neither Palestinians nor Israelis will have to relive the horrors that have befallen them since the October 7 attacks. .

Ten days ago, the UN Security Council finally fulfilled its responsibility by demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a crucial step that must be fully implemented without further delay.

We, the leaders of Egypt, France and Jordan, in light of the unbearable human losses, call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of Security Council Resolution 2728, and we also stress the urgent need to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

We stress the urgent need to implement the Security Council's demand for the immediate release of all hostages, and we reaffirm our support for the negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States regarding a ceasefire, hostages and detainees.

While we urge all parties to adhere to all relevant Security Council resolutions, we warn of the serious consequences of the Israeli attack on Rafah, to which more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have been displaced. Such an attack would only lead to more death and suffering, increase the risks and consequences of mass forced displacement of Gaza's population, and threaten regional escalation. As we reaffirm our equal respect for all lives, and condemn all violations and abuses of international humanitarian law, including all acts of violence, terrorism and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, we reaffirm that the protection of civilians is an established legal obligation of all parties, and the cornerstone of International humanitarian law, and any violation of this obligation is strictly prohibited.

Palestinians in Gaza are no longer just facing the threat of famine. Famine has already begun, and there is an urgent need for a massive increase in the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance. This is a fundamental requirement of Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728, which stress the urgent need to expand aid supplies.

United Nations agencies, including UNRWA, and humanitarian actors play a critical role in humanitarian operations in Gaza. It must be protected and given full access, including to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. We therefore condemn the killing of humanitarian support workers, including the recent attack on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy.

In line with international law, Israel is obligated to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, but Israel has not fulfilled this responsibility. We reiterate what the Security Council called for to lift obstacles to humanitarian assistance, and for Israel to immediately facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid through all crossing points, including in the northern Gaza Strip and through a direct land corridor from Jordan, as well as by sea.

We, the leaders of Egypt, France and Jordan, are determined to continue intensifying our efforts to meet the humanitarian, medical and health needs of the civilian population in Gaza, in close coordination with the United Nations system and regional partners.

Finally, we stress the urgent necessity to restore hope in achieving peace and security for all in the region, especially for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. We affirm our determination to continue working together to avoid further regional repercussions. We call on all actors to refrain from taking any escalatory action, and we urge an end to all Unilateral measures, including settlement activity and land confiscation. We also urge Israel to prevent settler violence.

We also stress the need to respect the historical and legal status existing in the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and the role of the Jordanian Waqf under Hashemite guardianship.

We affirm our determination to intensify our joint efforts to implement the two-state solution effectively. The only way to achieve real peace is to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to live side by side in peace and security with Israel. The United Nations Security Council must play a decisive role in reopening the horizon for peace.”