UNITED NATIONS: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday urged Palestinians to unite and “be ready to co-exist” in peace with Israelis, in his address to the United Nations.
Speaking a day after a first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, El-Sisi said an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was a “necessary precondition for the entire region” to enjoy stability.
Egypt has been leading mediation efforts between Palestinian arch-rivals Fatah and Hamas as part of a push to return to the forefront of Middle East diplomacy.
Departing from his prepared remarks to the UN General Assembly, El-Sisi said he wanted to “tell the Palestinian people, it is important to unite ... to overcome the differences and to be ready to accept co-existence with the other, with Israelis, in safety and security.”
The Egyptian leader made a similar appeal to Israelis, saying that decades of Israeli-Egyptian peace could be expanded to the Palestinians to “overcome the barrier of hatred forever.”
“We can repeat this experience, this excellent step once again, together with the peace and security of the Palestinian citizens,” he said.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has called for steps to kick-start Israeli-Palestinian talks that have been comatose since 2014.
In his address, Netanyahu said Israel was committed to achieving peace with all Arab countries and with the Palestinians, but he did not elaborate on how this could be achieved.
El-Sisi said “an independent Palestinian state” with east Jerusalem as its capital is “a necessary precondition for the entire region to transit into a new phase of stability and development.”
An Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would eliminate “one of the main excuses” used by terrorists in the region, he argued.
Turning to the United States where President Donald Trump has said he is pushing for negotiations, El-Sisi declared that there was an “opportunity to write a new page in history to achieve peace in this region.”
The meeting between Sissi and Netanyahu in New York on Monday followed a rare phone conversation between Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniya.
Egypt has been mediating between Abbas’ internationally recognized Palestinian Authority located in the West Bank and Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
After Haniya met Egyptian officials in Cairo last week, Hamas announced it agreed to demands by Fatah to dissolve what is seen as a rival administration in Gaza, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations to form a unity government.
Egypt’s president urges Palestinians to unite, co-exist with Israel
Egypt’s president urges Palestinians to unite, co-exist with Israel
Jordan-EU Summit confirms commitment to regional security, investment
- Jordan, EU to hold investment conference in April to enhance economic partnerships
- Ursula von der Leyen says King Abdullah is key partner for Europe in Middle East, relations between parties ‘built on stability, on security, but also on prosperity’
LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan hosted the first Jordan-EU Summit in Amman on Thursday, with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in attendance.
King Abdullah noted that the summit had built on last year’s Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership agreement with the EU, enhancing political dialogue and economic cooperation, according to the Jordan News Agency.
He spoke of his appreciation of the EU’s support for Jordan’s modernization and highlighted the country’s readiness to enhance cooperation in security, defense, education, and youth empowerment.
“Our partnership is also vital in supporting sustainable growth, job creation, and innovation, by strengthening economic resilience and expanding cooperation in trade and investment,” King Abdullah added.
Crown Prince Hussein attended the expanded meeting with EU leaders at Al-Husseiniya Palace.
Jordan and the EU are to hold an investment conference in April to enhance economic partnerships between the two parties, while the first EU-Jordan Security and Defense Dialogue is also scheduled for this year in Amman.
Costa said that bilateral relations with Jordan were strong and would continue to strengthen. He praised Jordan’s initiatives to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by establishing air and land corridors; its contribution to regional stability; its efforts to de-escalate tensions; and its pursuit of peace.
Von der Leyen said that King Abdullah was a key partner for Europe in the Middle East, and that relations between the EU and Jordan were “built on stability, on security, but also on prosperity.”
She added: “In times of growing geopolitical challenges, it is good to know that the European Union and Jordan stand side by side, because this is what friends do."
She noted that the EU aimed to increase investments in Jordan to 1.4 billion euros.
The summit also covered regional and international developments, including Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, the reform of the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank.
Jordan’s Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, Jordan’s Ambassador to Belgium Yousef Bataineh, and a number of European officials also attended the summit.
