JERUSALEM, Israel – Egypt’s president held talks in Cairo with the King of Jordan and the president of the Palestinian Authority on Thursday in a rare trilateral summit aimed at reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and strengthening a ceasefire between Hamas and the Jewish State.
During the meeting, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This solution calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital. Israel vehemently opposes this plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said he will not revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians while he is in power. However, he supports measures to bolster the Palestinian Authority in its rivalry with the Hamas terror group that governs Gaza.
In May, Israel fought an 11-day war with Hamas after Hamas pummelled southern Israeli communities with rockets. At least 260 Palestinians, including 67 children and 39 women, according to Gaza officials were killed. Hamas has admitted that 80 of its members are included in the death toll, but Israel claims that number is higher. One soldier and twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel.
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Tensions remain high between Gaza and Israel. For the last two weeks, Hamas has urged supporters to participate in daily protests on the border between Gaza and Israel in protest of Israel’s 14-year blockade on the coastal enclave. Some of these demonstrations have turned violent and a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire during a protest on Thursday. On Monday, an Israeli soldier who was shot by a Palestinian protester on Aug. 21, succumbed to his injuries.
Egypt, which helps Israel maintain its blockade over Gaza, has played a key role in mediating a truce between the two sides. Bennett has recently said he will visit Egypt “soon” to meet with President el-Sissi.
Last week after Bennett met with US President Joe Biden at the White House, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas in Ramallah. Those talks signaled a possible shift after the near-complete breakdown of talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel in recent years.
Following the meeting, Israel announced several measures aimed at strengthening the Palestinian Authority, including plans to loan $150 million to the government.
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