During a press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shoukry said the peace talks and the situation on the ground are in constant deterioration, adding that Palestinians are suffering from the current situation which must not go on any longer.
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The Egyptian initiative is based on the 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative, according to which Arab states will sign peace deals with Israel if it ends its conflict with the Palestinians with a peace accord.
“Today I call again on the Palestinians to follow the example of Egypt and Jordan and join us for direct negotiations”. The two countries share intelligence in a common fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) operating in Egypt’s Sinai desert.
Netanyahu said it was striking that African countries were little inclined to connect diplomatic and trade relationships with Israel to the status of the Palestinian issue.
“Egypt remains ready to contribute toward achieving this goal” of establishing a just and comprehensive peace and a two-state solution, Mr. Shoukry said going into the meeting.
There were indeed attempts two months ago by Sisi to mediate between Netanyahu and Herzog in order to create a coalition that could advance a regional approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The initiative gave full recognition of Israel, only if it gave up the land seized in the Middle East war of 1967 and agreed to a solution for Palestinian refugees.
The summit provided some positive optics for Netanyahu, whose right-wing administration has faced growing criticism from Europe and the United States over the stalled peace negotiations and Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
The examination, announced late Sunday, could prove a new challenge for Netanyahu, who has been fighting off accusations of shady dealings and financial mismanagement against him and his wife.
Shoukry will also focus on ways to activate the worldwide resolutions and previous agreements to build trust between the Israelis and the Palestinians as a step towards reviving the peace talks.
“The multilateral effect will take time, but it has begun”, Netanyahu said in a phone interview after returning on Friday from his trip to Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
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Israeli soldiers check a auto as they block vehicles from crossing from the West Bank city of Hebron to Yatta village on July 6, 2016, as Palestinians try to enter the village to visit relatives to celebrate the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. They accuse the army of carrying out summary executions of Palestinians they suspect of planning knife attacks against Israelis.
