Israelis, Palestinians commit to de-escalate following Sharm El-Sheikh talks 

Sharm El-Sheikh, March 19 (Petra) – Egyptian, Jordanian, Palestinian, American and Israeli senior officials Sunday met in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, following the Aqaba talks last February to de-escalate the tension between Palestinians and Israelis.

The Sharm El-Sheikh talks discussed proposals to reduce tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis and to pave the way for a peaceful settlement between the two conflicting parties.

The gathering recommitted to promoting security, stability and peace for Israelis and Palestinians, noting the “need” to stop further violence.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives renewed their commitment to ending unilateral actions for “three to six months.” This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussing establishing new settler units for four months and to stop legalising settlement outposts for six months.

Palestinians and Israelis recommitted to previous agreements, especially on the Palestinian Authority (PA’s) right to practice its security mandate in Area (A) in the occupied West Bank.

They agreed to develop a mechanism to check violence, incitement, statements and actions that might cause the situation to flare up, by which the five participant countries would receive reports in April when they convene in Sharm El-Sheikh.

They said they would uphold previous agreements and reaffirmed their agreement to address outstanding issues through dialogue.

The five countries agreed to establish a mechanism to take action to improve the economic conditions of Palestinians and support the financial position of the PA. The leaders of the five countries would receive reports of this in April when the Sharm el-Sheikh talks resume.

The five countries recommitted to not tamper with the historical status of sanctities in occupied Jerusalem and the “importance” of Jordan’s “special” role in caring for sanctities in Jerusalem.

//Petra// AK
19/03/2023 20:31:44