Macron on peace mission in the Middle East

French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. On Monday (07.04.). the French president will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II, Macron announced on the online service X. The French president arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening for a visit. On Tuesday, Macron plans to travel to the Gaza Strip. According to the Elysée Palace, he plans to meet with humanitarian workers in the city of Al-Arish to underline his support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Arish is located about 50 kilometers from the Gaza Strip and is an important crossing point for sending aid to the Palestinian territory

It is the twelfth meeting between Macron and al-Sisi since Macron took office in 2017. But this trip is considered particularly important. "The crises in the region - in Syria and the neighboring countries of Libya, Sudan and Israel - will be discussed," the Elysée Palace said. There is hope for a breakthrough in the Middle East conflict - also given France's role as a bridge to the Arab world. 

Officially, the central theme is economic cooperation. But the real focus is on the Gaza war. Israel recently broke the ceasefire it reached as a country in January with Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Germany and several Arab states. Israel launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed more than 1,200 people, took more than 200 hostages, not all of whom are still free.

According to Hamas, more than 50,000 people are said to have died in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. "We will talk about a ceasefire and a possible end to the war," says an Elysee spokeswoman. "We also want to seal a strategic partnership between France and Egypt - like the one that already exists for Egypt and the EU."

De Gaulle's path in the Arab world

France has a key position among EU states in Egypt - and in the Arab world - explains Ahmed El Keiy, a former journalist, managing director of the political consultancy AEK Conseil. Franco-Egyptian relations have been excellent for decades," he said in an interview with DW. "Many French companies operate in Egypt and have tens of thousands of employees there. Egypt was also the first country to buy 24 Rafale fighter jets in 2015, paving the way for further exports of the aircraft to other countries." Egypt is one of the main importers of French military goods.

These close relations are historically linked to the Middle East policy of former French President Charles de Gaulle. The former general, who led France from 1958 to 1969, chose a middle path in the Middle East: supporting and recognizing the state of Israel, but not unconditionally. De Gaulle condemned Israel after the country launched the Six-Day War with a preemptive attack on Egypt in June 1967 and imposed an arms embargo. He called for moderation in its relations with Arab states.

"This is another reason why France is so well known in the Arab world and especially in Egypt," explains El Keiy. Journalist Khaled Saad Zaghloul, who has been accredited to the Elysee since 1995, experiences this firsthand. "Presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande and now Emmanuel Macron have all coordinated with Cairo at least every week," the Egyptian journalist tells DW. "Since the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979, Cairo has been receptive." At the time, Egypt was the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel as part of the so-called Camp David Accords.

For Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, Macron's trip is taking place in special circumstances. "Macron is using the international power vacuum to present himself as the leader of the Western world - after all, the US is now seen as unreliable. Germany is still in coalition negotiations. It also has less of a presence in the Middle East, as do Italy and the UK," Gerges told DW in an interview.

And Egypt is a key point, according to the expert. With about 110 million inhabitants, it lies at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe. "What is happening in Egypt has far-reaching effects," says Gerges. "The country is important when it comes to migration. It receives many refugees from neighboring countries and, unlike Libya, they do not move on. It is considered a haven of stability in a region where there are civil wars and terrorist groups are active."

Pressure mounts to end war
In the Egyptian capital in early March, the 22 Arab League member states agreed on a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip in five to seven years. Residents would not be forced to leave the coastal region on the Mediterranean. The aim is for the West Bank to be administered by the Palestinian Authority. The proposal runs counter to US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

"The Arab plan is a good basis for discussions, but it needs to be complemented on security guarantees and the future form of governance in Gaza," an Elysee spokeswoman said, adding that the results of the visit would be presented to Washington later. France and Saudi Arabia are also planning a conference on the two-state solution this June. Saad Zaghloul hopes Macron's trip will bear fruit. "France, the EU and Egypt must increase the pressure to finally end the war," he said.

Amnesty International, however, is calling for France to use its relations with Egypt to also improve the human rights situation. The international non-governmental organization speaks of a “human rights crisis” and “systematic repression of opposition politicians and journalists” there. “Macron should explicitly emphasize human rights in the final statement, demand the release of political prisoners and that the parliamentary elections this August be held in a free and democratic manner,” said Amnesty International’s representative in Egypt, Lena Collette./DW/