Egypt Launches 2nd Round of National Dialogue Focusing on Economic Sessions

Part of the session on high prices (Egyptian National Dialogue)
Part of the session on high prices (Egyptian National Dialogue)
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Egypt Launches 2nd Round of National Dialogue Focusing on Economic Sessions

Part of the session on high prices (Egyptian National Dialogue)
Part of the session on high prices (Egyptian National Dialogue)

The second round of the Egyptian National Dialogue sessions focused on the economic crisis in the country amid aspirations to provide urgent solutions to “high prices, inflation, and public debt.”

The closed economic axis sessions began on Monday with the participation of government officials.

The first day witnessed three sessions to discuss high prices, high inflation rates, and loss of control over the markets. The second session addressed the obstacles facing production and export, while the third discussed the monetary policies and the dollar and foreign exchange shortage.

According to a statement by the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, the discussions will continue until next Thursday under various titles that address multiple aspects of the economic crisis, including public debt, the budget deficit, public investment priorities, state ownership policy, and social justice.

The Board of Trustees said in a press statement on Monday that the session reviewed several proposals within the executive and legislative framework to come up with recommendations to alleviate the burden on citizens.

According to a board member, Gouda Abdulkhaliq, the sessions aim to develop solutions to the urgent aspects of the economic crisis affecting the masses, especially high prices.

Abdulkhaliq told Asharq Al-Awsat that the first sessions reached urgent recommendations. He explained that the government must announce some goods as strategic and ensure they are available at reasonable prices for a specific period in the markets.

They also recommended setting a binding price for all merchants who deal with the strategic goods, equivalent to the cost of production with a reasonable profit margin.

Among the recommendations also, according to Abdulkhaliq, the government should implement a complete exemption for essential food commodities from all types of fees and taxes until the crisis has subsided.

He said that the government must also commit to setting a fair price for its services to citizens, such as electricity and water.

Among the recommendations are developing the capabilities of the consumer and competition protection agencies and preventing monopoly by activating market oversight.

Board member Talaat Abdel Qawi believes it is essential to choose titles for the sessions, such as prices and loss of control over the markets because they reflect the desire to address people’s concerns.

Abdel Qawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the participation of ministers and government officials in the sessions will increase the chances of consensus on specific and urgent proposals to overcome the crisis.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received members of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, stressing the importance of the general and specialized sessions held within the framework of the National Dialogue in mapping the priorities of national action during the next stage.

Madbouly announced that a working group was formed from the Technical Office of the Prime Minister and the Information and Decision Support Center of the government’s presidency to follow up with relevant ministries on implementing these outputs.

About two years ago, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for a “National Dialogue” that includes all political forces, except the banned Muslim Brotherhood, to discuss the state’s priorities.

The recommendations of the first round of the National Dialogue, held in May last year, were submitted to the President.



Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel’s military ordered the evacuation Saturday of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including parts of Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp where thousands are seeking refuge.

The order comes in response to rocket fire that Israel says originates from the area. It's the second evacuation issued in a week in an area designated for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in search of safety during Israel's punishing air and ground campaign.

On Monday, after the evacuation order, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit around Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, citing figures from Nasser Hospital.

The area is part of a 60-square-kilometer (roughly 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” to which Israel has been telling Palestinians to flee to throughout the war. Much of the area is blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, United Nations and humanitarian groups say. About 1.8 million Palestinians are sheltering there, according to Israel's estimates. That's more than half Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The UN estimated in February that some 17,000 children in the territory are now unaccompanied, and the number is likely to have grown since.

The war began with an assault by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 115 are still in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.