Jordan will host a “political-security” meeting between Israelis and Palestinians on Sunday to restore peace after deadly violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a Jordanian government official said.
Representatives of the US and Egypt will also attend the meeting to be held at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.
The aim is to “build trust” between Israelis and Palestinians, the official told AFP on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar were expected to attend on the Israeli side.
The talks will come after 11 Palestinians were killed and more than 80 wounded in a gun battle on Wednesday, when Israeli troops raided the West Bank city of Nablus to arrest militant groups. Palestinian militant groups said at least seven of those killed were their operatives. The other three were confirmed to be civilians.
The intense unrest this year has sparked international concern and follows violence in 2022 that was the deadliest in the West Bank since UN tracking began. It also comes before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of particular sensitivity in Jerusalem.
“The political-security meeting is part of ongoing efforts by Jordan in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and other parties to end the unilateral measures. [by Israel] and a security breach that could fuel more violence,” said the Jordanian government official.
Palestinians clash with Palestinian security forces following an arrest raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (AP/Nasser Nasser)
The official said the talks aimed to reach “security and economic measures to ease the hardships of the Palestinian people”.
Channel 12 News reported that Israel had promised Palestinian authorities to limit entry into Palestinian cities in the near future in order to defuse tensions.
Saudi Arabia’s Asharq News reported that the PA team was expected to demand a halt to Israeli raids and settlement activity, while seeking to reach an agreement with Palestinian armed groups to maintain peace.
The summit aims to boost Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation and strengthen the understanding that was reached earlier this week regarding steps to be taken by the two sides to reduce tensions. a Palestinian source familiar with the matter Said.
Israel’s nearly year-long anti-terror offensive in the West Bank has killed more than 200 Palestinians – the vast majority in clashes with Israeli troops but some in more questionable circumstances – with 60 killed since the start of the year, the first Strained relations since. The campaign was launched last year to prevent deadly attacks on Israelis: 31 were killed in 2022, and this year alone 11 have been killed in Palestinian terrorist attacks in East Jerusalem – 10 civilians and a border police officer.
The source said Ramallah is to be sent a delegation led by PA Civil Affairs Minister and PLO Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh, along with PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj and Majdi Khaldi, chief diplomatic adviser to PA president Mahmoud Abbas. US National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf are set to represent the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Al-Sheikh and Hanegbi have established a secret line CommunicationsFormal contacts between Jerusalem and Ramallah have essentially been frozen. Despite the rigid nature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alliance, Abbas sent al-Sheikh to create a backchannel with Jerusalem, which would be used to maintain contact and prevent further deterioration of relations. A Palestinian official said on Monday that the backchannel had largely halted periods of violence, and that al-Sheikh and Hanegabi had held several in-person and virtual meetings.
Wednesday’s raid, the latest in a string of deadly military operations by Israel in the West Bank, came with Israel headed by a new coalition government considered the most right-wing in the country’s history.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who took office again in December, traveled to Amman in January for a rare meeting with King Abdullah II. “The Emperor stressed the need to maintain peace and stop all acts of violence,” the imperial palace said at the time.
Abdullah also reaffirmed Jordan’s position in support of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians to end the decades-old conflict.
The conference aimed to secure Israel’s agreement to authorize additional settlement extensions for several months, along with a similar time-bound commitment to reduce IDF raids on Palestinian cities and to reduce the demolition or eviction of Palestinians from their homes. to formalize. The Palestinian source said Ramallah is angry at all of the commitments that were breached this week and is demanding that the US pressure Israel to abide by the agreement.
