Sisi discusses Jerusalem issue with Abbas, Abdullah II

CAIRO - 10 December 2017: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi made phone calls with his Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II, respectively, on Sunday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

"President Sisi and Abbas agreed to continue coordination over the Jerusalem situation; they also discussed the importance of intensifying the international contacts to show the negative repercussions of Trump’s decision, which contradicts with the international resolutions," said Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement.

"In the phone call between Sisi and King Abdullah II, both leaders discussed the ways of supporting Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, topping which is the establishment of a Palestinian state with Eastern Jerusalem as its capital," said Radi in a statement on Sunday. "Both leaders also tackled other regional issues of mutual concern," he added.

On Wednesday night, United States’ President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during a televised speech from the White House. Trump’s decision was met by a barrage of criticism and condemnations from many Arab and world leaders, while protests took place in Gaza strip, West Bank as well as different parts of the Arab world.

Clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday; Israeli forces fired tear gas on the protesters, killing two Palestinians and injuring more than 300 others. On Saturday, the Israeli airstrikes killed two other Palestinians and injured dozens, raising the injured toll to 1,114 people, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health on Saturday.

Egypt’s Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb and Pope Tawadros of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark announced their rejection to meet with U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, who will visit Egypt on December 20. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced his rejection to meet with Pence, although the White House has warned that rejecting Pence’s meeting could have negative consequences.