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Israeli, Palestinian Officials Meet in Egypt in Attempt to Maintain Calm During Ramadan [1]
['Jonathan Lis']
Date: 2023-03-19
Officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan and the United States are scheduled to hold a meeting on Sunday in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, with the goal of promoting calm in the West Bank and Jerusalem ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts this week.
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The Egyptian Foreign Ministry had confirmed that the two sides were meeting in the resort town in the Sinai Peninsula.
According to Israeli sources, the group, which met for the first time in Aqaba last month, is expected to become a permanent forum holding regular bridging meetings for calming the security situation between Israel and the Palestinians, under the auspices of the U.S. and states in the region.
Sunday’s meeting will attempt to reach understandings that will reduce friction between the sides. Israel is planning to host one of the next meetings, and has not ruled out the possibility of sending its representatives to Ramallah if the Palestinian Authority chooses to host one as well.
Sources familiar with the forum said that the meetings’ ability to prevent an escalation is limited. They serves to bolster the Palestinian Authority, encouraging it to operate against terror organizations in its jurisdiction and to prevent disruptions. However, Hamas and Iran are trying to fan the flames and escalate confrontations.
The Palestinians expect Israel to reduce Israel Defense Forces’ operations in Area A of the West Bank, which is under Palestinian control, and to stop the house demolitions in Jerusalem and Area C, which is administered by Israel, as well as curbing settler aggression against Palestinians.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Palestinians representatives would participate in the meeting in order to protect the rights of the Palestinian people and stop Israeli aggression and unilateral steps.
The Islamic Jihad announced that its chief, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, met Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. No further details were given.
Despite the tension, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be in London this weekend, the first one in Ramadan.
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[1] Url:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-03-19/ty-article/.premium/israeli-palestinian-officials-to-meet-in-egypt-in-attempt-to-maintain-calm-during-ramadan/00000186-f647-df90-a19e-ffff35960000
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