Cairo, 20 March 2023 (GNP): In an initiative supported by the United States and Jordan to quell a spike in violence in the West Bank ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Egypt hosted Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
According to a statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry, the meeting was aimed to facilitate discussion between the Palestinian and Israeli parties to cooperate in ceasing unilateral acts and escalation, break the present cycle of violence, and establish calm.
It was further said that alleviation of violence may “facilitate the creation of a climate suitable for the resumption of the peace process”.
The meeting came after the first summit of its sort in years, mediated by the US on February 26 in the Jordanian resort town of Aqaba, which failed to avert bloodshed despite Israeli and Palestinian vows of de-escalation.
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More than 200 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, have been slain by Israeli forces in the West Bank over the course of the previous year, while more than 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians have also died in Palestinian attacks.
In earlier Ramzans , there have been sporadic incidents between Israeli police and Palestinians, especially in the vicinity of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, and the Jewish Temple Mount.
An anonymous security source in Egypt claimed that Egypt and Jordan were attempting to get guarantees such as Israeli restraint near the site during Ramadan and the release of Palestinian prisoners ahead of their meeting on Sunday.