Egypt, Jordan, Palestine leaders say will work with int’l parties to revive peace process

CAIRO – 14 August 2023: Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders said on Monday that they will continue their efforts with the main international powers and parties concerned with peace in order to revive a serious and meaningful peace process.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made the remarks in a final communique after their meeting in Alamein city, Egypt to discuss the Palestinian developments.

They affirmed that a peace process must be based on the international law and peace references and has to be within a mechanism and a specific timeframe.

The leaders called for the international community to support efforts of reviving the peace process to achieve fair and comprehensive peace that the region and its peoples deserve and to remove the injustice faced by the Palestinian people.

 

Resolving Palestinian cause

The three leaders affirmed the need to resolve the Palestinian cause and achieve fair and comprehensive peace as a strategic option and a regional and international necessity besides being an issue of global peace and security.

The only way to resolve the Palestinian cause is to implement the relevant UN and UNSC resolutions, enable Palestinian people to obtain their inalienable rights, end the Israeli occupation and embody the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, they affirmed.

This should achieve the two-state solution based on the international law and relevant agreed upon references as well as the Arab Peace Initiative.

Israeli commitments

The leaders affirmed the need for Israel to fulfill its commitments in accordance with international law, the international humanitarian law, and previous international agreements and understandings.

Such agreements include those concluded with the Palestinian side as well as the multiple previous commitments announced under the Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh meetings.

 

They also called for Israeli to assume its responsibilities, stop aggressions, and ensure calming down the situation on the ground in preparation for the revival of peace negotiations.

Also, Israel needs to respect its obligations as the occupying power in the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, the leaders stressed.

They called for Israeli to stop storming the occupied West Bank cities, which undermines the ability of the Palestinian government and security to carry out their duties.

Israeli also needs to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and refrain from other practices that fuel tension and violence and threaten to ignite the situation.

The leaders also stressed the importance of Israel releasing the Palestinian money it holds without legal basis in contravention of the agreements concluded in this regard.

Religious sanctities

Moreover, the leaders condemned the violation of the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and of the city’s sanctities, demanding an end to the incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.

President Sisi and President Abbas stressed the importance of the historical Jordanian custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.