The talks in Egypt stressed the need to stop any disruptive actions at Jerusalem’s holy sites during Ramadan.
Israeli and Palestinian officials have agreed at a meeting in Egypt To take steps to ease tensions ahead of Muslim holy month Ramadan,
Talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday stressed the need to stop any disruptive actions at Jerusalem’s holy sites when Ramadan begins later this week.
In a joint statement attended by officials from the United States, Egypt and Jordan, the parties also reaffirmed commitments made at a meeting in Aqaba last month, including halting discussion of any new settlement units for four months. Israel’s pledge to
Israel’s pledge was largely symbolic. Israel recently approved the construction of thousands of new settlement homes, and had no immediate plans to approve additional construction.
Still, talk of slowing settlement activity poses a risk to Israel’s right-wing coalition government, which is dominated by settler leaders and supporters.
A similar meeting in Jordan on 26 February ended with a resolution to reduce tensions. It was quickly derailed by several new outbursts of violence.
A Palestinian gunman was shot dead two israeli residents More Jewish settlers rampage in Palestinian town in occupied West Bank Huwarakilling a Palestinian person and destroying property described as a pogrom,
An Israeli attack in Nablus as well 11 Palestinians killedLowering expectations for the second instalment.
While Sunday’s talks were underway, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a vehicle in Huwara. seriously injured an Israeli man, the medics said. His wife was treated for shock.
The Israeli army said that the wounded man and Israeli soldiers opened fire and killed the attacker. The army said the man was later arrested. His condition was not immediately known.
Huwara is located in the northern part of the West Bank on a busy road used by Israeli settlers, many of whom are armed.
Over the past year, Israeli forces have made thousands of arrests and executed more than 200 Palestinians in the West Bank, while more than 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians have been killed in Palestinian attacks.
The Israeli-occupied West Bank has seen an increase in confrontation in recent months, with almost daily Israeli military raids and Increasing violence by Israeli settlers,
mechanisms to prevent violence
“The two sides agreed to establish a mechanism to prevent and counter violence, provocations and inflammatory states and actions,” the joint statement said. It added that the two sides would report on progress at a follow-up meeting in Egypt next month.
It did not provide further details on the mechanism.
According to the statement, participants in the talks stressed the need for both Israel and Palestine to actively prevent any actions that would disrupt the sanctity of Jerusalem’s holy sites during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Large numbers of Jews are also expected to visit the holy site of Jerusalem, known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews. an act that Palestinians see as a provocation,
Under a long-standing arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. But in recent years, the number of visitors has increased, some praying quietly. Such scenes have fueled fears among Palestinians that Israel is trying to change the status quo,
Clashes at the site in 2021 helped trigger the Israeli 11-Day War on Gaza.