Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Monday condemned what he called "flagrant double standards" in the international system and described the Israeli war in Gaza as a "war of starvation" aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause, during a virtual BRICS summit. On the same day, Al-Sisi met with the commander of USCentral Command, General Brad Cooper, in Cairo to discuss the Gaza crisis and joint efforts to contain regional escalation, the president's office said. In a speech to the extraordinary summit of BRICS leaders, hosted by Brazil, Sisi said the international scene was "drowning in flagrant double standards and a blatant violation of international law." He said Israel had, for nearly two years, been practising the "most heinous forms of killing and terror, using starvation and deprivation of health services as a weapon against civilians." "This has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, reaching the point where the United Nations has declared a state of famine in the Gaza Strip," Sisi said. "This is no longer a war to achieve political goals or release hostages, but a war of starvation and to liquidate their just cause." Separately, Al-Sisi's meeting at the Ittihadiya Palace with General Cooper focused on the strategic nature of Egyptian-US relations. According to a presidency spokesperson, the two sides agreed on the need for continued close coordination to contain the escalation in the Middle East. The talks covered the developments in Gaza, with Sisi stressing the importance of the mediation carried out by Egypt, the United States, and Qatar to reach an immediate ceasefire, ensure the release of hostages and prisoners, and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid. In his BRICS address, Sisi said the current state of the U.N. Security Council was a "stark example" of the international community's paralysis, which he said had led many countries to call for comprehensive reforms, including the abolition of the veto power. Sisi reiterated Egypt's "categorical rejection" of any scenario aimed at displacing Palestinians from their land, which he said would represent an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause, kill the two-state solution, and expand the conflict. The president also outlined Egypt's priorities for the BRICS group, including deepening consultations, launching joint projects in vital sectors like renewable energy and infrastructure, expanding the use of local currencies in trade, and intensifying coordination on reforming the global financial architecture and addressing the issue of debt. The meeting with the U.S. general also highlighted the "Bright Star 2025" military exercises as an extension of the close security and defence cooperation between the two countries. The talks also touched on developments in other countries in the region, with an emphasis on continuing cooperation to support sustainable political solutions to existing crises.
