At a meeting in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to work closely to prevent further violence and de-escalate the surging tensions in the region. As part of this commitment, Israel has agreed to stop the authorisation of illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank for six months. The two sides also pledged to meet again next month in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
The joint statement was issued at the end of the meeting, which was also attended by US, Egyptian and Jordanian officials. The two sides stressed “joint readiness and commitment to work immediately to stop unilateral measures” for three to six months. Host nation Jordan, along with Egypt and the US, considered “these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides”.
The Hamas group, which governs the besieged Gaza Strip, condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for taking part. An official from the group said the meeting was “worthless” and would not change anything. The ruling Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had said on Twitter that the decision to take part in the Aqaba meeting was made “despite the pain and massacres being endured by the Palestinian people”.
The talks were held on the same day two Israelis were shot and killed in the occupied West Bank in what the Israeli government called a “Palestinian terror attack”. This came days after Israeli forces launched their deadliest raid in the West Bank in nearly 20 years, which left 11 Palestinians dead in the northern city of Nablus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power at the head of one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli history has added to Arab concerns about escalation.
Israel on February 12 granted retroactive authorisation to nine Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced the mass construction of new homes within established settlements. The United Nations Security Council issued a formal statement denouncing Israel’s plan to expand settlements on occupied Palestinian territory – its first action of the kind against Israel in six years.
The occupied West Bank is home to about 2.9 million Palestinians plus an estimated 475,000 Israelis who live in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law. Israeli forces have killed 65 Palestinians, including 13 children, this year so far. They have also injured hundreds of others, making the first two months of 2023 the deadliest for Palestinians compared with the same period since 2000. Eleven Israeli civilians, including three children, a police officer and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
At a meeting held in Aqaba on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to work together to de-escalate tensions in the region and prevent further violence. As part of this commitment, Israel has pledged to stop authorising illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank for six months and to meet again next month in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
The joint statement was issued at the end of the meeting, which was attended by representatives from Jordan, Egypt, and the US. The two sides stressed “joint readiness and commitment to work immediately to stop unilateral measures” for three to six months. Host nation Jordan, along with Egypt and the US, considered “these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides”.
However, Hamas condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for taking part in the meeting, calling it “worthless” and saying it would not change anything. The ruling Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had said on Twitter that they decided to take part “despite the pain and massacres being endured by the Palestinian people”.
The talks were held on the same day two Israelis were shot and killed in the occupied West Bank in what the Israeli government called a “Palestinian terror attack”. This came days after Israeli forces launched their deadliest raid in the West Bank in nearly 20 years, which left 11 Palestinians dead in Nablus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power at the head of one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli history has added to Arab concerns about escalation.
Israel on February 12 granted retroactive authorisation to nine Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced plans for mass construction of new homes within established settlements. The United Nations Security Council issued a formal statement denouncing Israel’s plan to expand settlements on occupied Palestinian territory – its first action of this kind against Israel in six years.
The occupied West Bank is home to about 2.9 million Palestinians plus an estimated 475,000 Israelis who live in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law. Israeli forces have killed 65 Palestinians, including 13 children, this year so far. They have also injured hundreds of others, making the first two months of 2023 the deadliest for Palestinians compared with any other period since 2000. Eleven Israeli civilians, including three children, a police officer and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967’s Six-Day War.