Representatives from twenty-one MFO Supporting States attended the plenary session of the MFO’s Annual Meeting in Rome on March 4, 2024, including delegations from Egypt, Israel, and the United States.

The MFO’s Director General, Elizabeth L. Dibble, and our Interim Force Commander, MG Evan Williams (New Zealand), provided Supporting State Representatives with an update on the conduct of the MFO mission in 2023 as well as future operations and plans, current finances, actions taken to protect our personnel, and our initiatives to sustain peace and facilitate dialogue between Egypt and Israel.

DG Dibble thanked all MFO Supporting States and their delegates for choosing to work together, for their trust in the peace between Egypt and Israel, and for taking part in the community that is the MFO. “We remain confident that, with your continued support, we will continue to successfully fulfill our mission and adapt our operations as necessary now and in the future, as we have adapted over the years in other situations.”

Major General Alaa Kassem, Chief, of Egypt’s Liaison Agency with International Organizations (LAWIO) stated “This gathering reflects the will and the desire of our countries to maintain peace and stability and serves as a reminder for each one of us regarding the exceptional role of the MFO in both peacemaking and peacekeeping. At this critical phase in the Middle East, where a complex geopolitical situation has been evolving, we are all here supporting the Egyptian/Israeli Peace Treaty.”

Brigadier General Efraim Defrin, Chief, of the Israel Defense Force’s International Cooperation Division remarked that “the [Israel Defense Forces] attribute great importance to the Peace Treaty. The Treaty is a crucial element in ensuring that peace will continue to prevail and prosper, despite the efforts to stop it, and especially during these complex and testing times. Therefore, I am honored to have the chance to express once more that the IDF is devoted to the Peace Treaty and its respective ties with the MFO and with Egypt.”

With MG Williams’ departure imminent, DG Dibble thanked him for his selfless service with the MFO for six months as Interim Force Commander and for his earlier three plus years with the MFO as Force Commander. She also welcomed and introduced our incoming Force Commander, MG Michael Garraway from Australia, who will take command of the Force in Sinai on March 17, 2024.