AMMAN — Israel dedicated to cease authorization of any settler outposts within the occupied West Bank for six months throughout a gathering on Sunday with Palestinian officers in Jordan when the edges pledged to de-escalate surging violence.
In a joint assertion on the finish of a gathering within the metropolis Aqaba, Israel and Palestinian officers mentioned they’d work carefully to stop “further violence” and “reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground.”
Host nation Jordan, together with Egypt and the United States, thought of “these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides,” the assertion mentioned.
The assembly was held as anxiousness mounts of escalation within the run-up to the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that begins in late March.
Palestinian factions, together with the Hamas group, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for collaborating within the assembly.
The assembly introduced collectively high Israeli and Palestinian safety chiefs for the primary time in a few years, officers mentioned, and aimed to revive calm in Israel, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority “confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months,” the assertion mentioned.
“This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop authorization of any outposts for six months,” the assertion mentioned.
The individuals additionally agreed to satisfy once more in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in March. “The participants stressed the importance of the Aqaba meeting, the first of its kind in years,” the assertion mentioned.
“They agreed to continue meeting under this formula, maintain positive momentum and expand this agreement towards wider political process leading to a just and lasting peace.”
US President Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is attending, together with Jordanian and Egyptian officers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to energy on the head of probably the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli historical past has added to Arab issues about escalation.
Israel on Feb. 12 granted retroactive authorization to 9 Jewish settler outposts within the occupied West Bank and introduced mass-construction of recent properties inside established settlements.
The UN Security Council issued a proper assertion denouncing Israel’s plan to increase settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, the primary motion the United States has allowed the physique to take in opposition to its ally Israel in six years. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
