Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty renewed Cairo's calls for a permanent ceasefire in war-torn and starved Gaza, while also warning that Egypt will take necessary measures to protect its water security amid an ongoing dam crisis with Ethiopia.
Abdelatty spoke from Washington, where he is on an official visit and met his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Thursday.
A day earlier, he met Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who had previously made shocking remarks about Gaza, once suggesting the Palestinian territory should be nuked.
Abdelatty urged the need to put forward a political roadmap to achieve a just and sustainable settlement to the Palestinian issue and restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the 1967 borders, Egyptian media reported.
At least 15 Western countries recently expressed their desire to recognise an independent Palestinian state, including France, Britain and Canada. But the UK said it was conditional, saying it would recognise a Palestinian state if Israel did not end the war in Gaza and work toward a peace process.
On Wednesday, Egypt's top diplomat stressed "the need to reach a permanent ceasefire, given the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the importance of ensuring the regular flow of humanitarian aid and beginning the process of early recovery and reconstruction".
Israel and Hamas began a new round of negotiations in Doha earlier this month. Qatar, Egypt and the US have been mediating the talks, which have yet to make any breakthrough.
Earlier this week, Egypt, along with other countries, resumed dropping humanitarian relief in Gaza via military aircraft for the first time in over six months after Israeli approval.
Scenes of starving children in Gaza due to Israel's siege have shocked the world and prompted wide criticism of the Israeli government, and over 100 people have perished from malnutrition and hunger-related deaths.
Cairo has come under pressure to do more to help the more than 2 million Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. People in several Arab countries have protested outside Egyptian embassies, blaming the Egyptian government for what they say is its complicity in the Gaza genocide.
Despite its mediation role, Egypt has joined Arab states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia in calling for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza in a bid to end the war there.
Hamas, part of the Muslim Brotherhood, is banned in several Arab countries and has come under scrutiny in others.
Nile dam crisis
Abdelatty also discussed with Graham Egypt's concerns regarding the Nile River and Egyptian water security, stressing "the rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law."
He was referring to the Nile Dam, officially referred to as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Addis Ababa announced was complete in early July.
Cairo has also long sought US intervention in the GERD dispute in the hope that it could pressure Ethiopia into backing down on its plans to limit the flow of the Blue Nile.
The two countries have been at loggerheads for years over Ethiopia’s construction of the $5 billion hydroelectric dam, which threatens to exacerbate water shortages in Egypt, one of the most water insecure countries in the world.
War-torn Sudan, another downstream country, has also expressed its concerns.
Abdelatty stressed that Egypt will take all measures guaranteed by international law to protect its water security, according to an Egyptian statement.
Speaking with Senator Roger Wicker, the foreign minister stressed the need to cooperate "based on consensus and mutual benefit to achieve the interests of all Nile Basin countries," emphasising "the rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law."
Ethiopia has expressed willingness to reach an understanding with both Egypt and neighbouring Sudan.
High-level diplomatic sources this month told The New Arab's Arabic language edition, that Egypt had rejected a quid pro quo offered by the US that would see it mediate an end to the crisis over GERD in return for Cairo allowing Israel to displace Gaza’s population into Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula.