Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday pledged his continued support for Palestinian rights during a meeting with the state’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, in Cairo. The leaders met to discuss various regional and international issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which has been stalled since 2017.
“The Palestinian issue will always have a priority in Egypt’s policy,” Mr. El-Sisi told Mr. Abbas, adding that the country will fully back Palestine’s fight to achieve self-determination and establish an independent state on land occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with East Jerusalem as its capital. On the other hand, Abbas reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement with his Egyptian counterpart regarding the situation in Palestine and expressed gratitude for Cairo’s sustained efforts in support of the Palestinian cause.
Egypt has regularly spoken out against Israeli actions in the occupied territory, most recently condemning the Jewish state’s demolition campaign in Palestinian villages in the West Bank.
An Egyptian presidential spokesperson said that the two sides agreed to “continue intense consultations and co-ordination to follow up on future steps designed to change the status quo and a return to the negotiating table”.
The leaders also reviewed Egypt’s efforts to stabilize the situation in the Gaza Strip through humanitarian and economic assistance, while simultaneously pushing the reconciliation process to ultimately achieve political consensus. President El-Sisi stressed that Cairo’s ultimate goal was to ensure unity among all Palestinian people. However, experts have noted that Egypt’s insistence to hold on to the reins of the Palestinian reconciliation process could also be to ensure leverage as a new US administration takes office.
The officials’ meeting on Monday was preceded by Abbas’ audience with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday, where the monarch also expressed his support for Palestinian rights. “The king affirmed the existing legal and historic status of Jerusalem, emphasising the kingdom’s rejection of all unilateral arrangements that aim at changing the identity of the city and its holy places,” the Petra government news agency said.
Later, on Sunday, King Abdullah and El-Sisi discussed ways to “revive” the Palestinian-Israeli peace process during a telephone conversation, the Egyptian presidency said.
The countries are hopeful that a change in US leadership will renew prospects for a two-state solution, which has been weakened under President Donald Trump’s Israel-focused Middle East Peace Plan. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reportedly already reached out to the incoming US administration, signalling a readiness to return to negotiations with Israel.
Egyptian President Sisi Reaffirms Full Support for Palestinian Cause
The leaders met in Cairo to discuss various regional and international issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which has been stalled since 2017.
December 2, 2020
SOURCE: PALESTINIAN NEWS AND INFORMATION AGENCY - WAFA