Egypt, Jordan, Palestine summit in Aqaba: Coordinating positions amid escalating Israeli aggression

CAIRO – 10 January 2024: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in the Jordanian city of Aqaba to attend the three-way summit between Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine.

The summit, which is set to bring together President Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, will discuss the Israeli escalation in Gaza, the Egyptian Presidential spokesman said in a statement.

The summit also aims to boost efforts aiming to achieve a ceasefire in the strip and save the people in Gaza from the ongoing humanitarian tragedy, the spokesman added.

During the summit, President Sisi will highlight the ongoing Egyptian efforts to achieve ceasefire and ensure delivery of humanitarian aid. He will also underscore Egypt’s vision to achieve a comprehensive and fair solution to the Palestinian cause.

Coordinating positions

Egypt prioritizes regular trilateral meetings with Jordan and Palestine to discuss and consult on the Palestinian cause, encompassing both urgent matters and the peaceful settlement process. These meetings aim to coordinate visions and positions to address the prevailing challenges associated with this central Arab issue.

The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies sheds light on the significance of the trilateral coordination between Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine amid such critical time.

The frequency of the summits between the three countries reflects the determination to keep the Palestinian cause in the spotlight, even amidst other regional and international concerns. However, the summit in Aqaba holds particular significance due to the rapid developments in the Gaza Strip and their regional, political, economic, and security ramifications.

These meetings underscore Egypt's commitment to strengthening the strategic relations with Jordan and Palestine. The shared will among the three countries drives the continuous coordination and addresses the evolving dynamics and challenges pertaining to the Palestinian cause. The objective is to uphold the legitimate rights, hopes, and aspirations of the Palestinian people. The trilateral coordination mechanism has played a pivotal role in advancing these objectives over the years.

In 2023, two summits were convened. The first, in January, emphasized the imperative of safeguarding the legitimate Palestinian rights and sustaining joint efforts to achieve comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian summit in January 2023

This solution entails an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the June 4, 1967 lines, in accordance with international law, relevant resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Strong support was expressed for the Palestinian President amid the increasing regional and international challenges. The international community was urged to provide protection for the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.

Establishing political horizon

Concerted efforts were urged to establish a genuine political horizon, reignite meaningful negotiations, and resolve the Palestinian cause.

The hazardous consequences of the absence of a political horizon were highlighted, emphasizing the need to halt all unilateral Israeli measures that undermine the two-state solution. This includes settlements, land confiscation, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians, ongoing Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities, and violations of Jerusalem's historical and legal status quo and its holy sites.

The three leaders always emphasized the need to preserve the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities. They also stressed the importance of the Hashemite historical custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its role in protecting their Arab Islamic and Christian identity.

Additionally, they highlighted the necessity of Palestinian unity and ending the division, which is in the interest and necessity of the Palestinian people. This unity has an impact on the Palestinian stance's unity and steadfastness in defending their cause.

The second summit, held in the Egyptian city of Al-Alamein in August of last year 2023, was preceded by a meeting of Palestinian factions attended by the Palestinian president, aiming to continue the dialogue on various issues with the goal of ending the state of division and restoring Palestinian national unity.

Following that, an Egyptian-Palestinian summit was held, discussing ways to coordinate positions and visions on several issues related to the Palestinian cause, particularly regarding the revival of the peace process.

The summit emphasized the need to preserve legitimate Palestinian rights and to continue efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

The importance of these three summits became clearer during the Israeli escalations against the Gaza Strip, such as the Israeli strikes on the Strip in August 2021.

The following month, a trilateral summit was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, aiming to coordinate positions before the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York and to build a unified Arab stance regarding the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and communications with the United States.

This came in response to an earlier Egyptian invitation to hold an international conference to resume the negotiation process for peace, based on Egyptian-American coordination.

The meeting also discussed cementing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, supporting Egyptian efforts for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, and emphasizing the importance of continuing to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation.

Returning to the current trilateral summit hosted by the Jordanian city of Aqaba, it can be said that the current circumstances facing the Palestinian cause in general, and the Gaza Strip in particular add an additional value and multiplied importance to this summit.