Palestinian foreign minister urges Israel to return to talks

The Palestinian overseas minister has urged Israel to return to talks primarily based on a two-state answer for the Israeli-Palestinian battle, forward of the transition to a brand new U.S. administration

CAIRO — The Palestinian overseas minister on Saturday urged Israel to return to talks primarily based on a two-state answer for the Israeli-Palestinian battle, forward of the transition to a brand new U.S. administration.

Palestinian Overseas Minister Riyad al-Malki’s feedback got here in a joint assertion with Egypt’s Overseas Minister Sameh Shukry and Jordan’s Overseas Minister Ayman Safadi.

In a information convention after their assembly, al-Malki stated that the Palestinian Authority is able to cooperate with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, on the idea of reaching a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital on territory Israel captured within the 1967 Mideast warfare.

“We’re prepared for cooperation and coping with the brand new U.S. administration, and we predict that it might re-draw its ties with the state of Palestine,” he stated.

The Palestinian diplomat stated coordination with Cairo and Amman is a “middle level” that may set up a “start line” in coping with the incoming Biden administration. Egypt and Jordan are shut U.S. allies.

In September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas known as for a world convention early subsequent 12 months to launch a “real peace course of,” primarily based on the U.N. resolutions and previous agreements with Israel. The Palestinians urged that the convention be multilateral, since they contend america is now not an sincere dealer.

Palestinian negotiators have suffered quite a few setbacks beneath the Trump administration, and complained about what they are saying are biased pro-Israel steps from Washington.

Trump has sidelined the Palestinian Authority, acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, slashed monetary help for the Palestinians, and reversed course on the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians.

Israel captured east Jerusalem and the West Financial institution within the 1967 warfare. The worldwide neighborhood considers each areas to be occupied territory, and the Palestinians search them as elements of a future unbiased state.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers it a part of its capital — a step that’s not internationally acknowledged.

Israel has constructed a far-flung community of settlements that home practically 700,000 Jewish settlers within the West Financial institution and Jerusalem since their seize in 1967.

The Palestinians need each territories for his or her future state and consider the settlements as a violation of worldwide legislation and an impediment to peace — a place with extensive worldwide assist.

Al-Malki additionally stated they’ve returned to safety coordination with Israel, after Israeli authorities despatched a “message, for the primary time, that they’re abiding to all agreements” made with the Palestinians.

In Could, the Palestinian president introduced that the PA would minimize ties with Israel, together with safety coordination, following Israel’s pledge to annex massive elements of the occupied West Financial institution.

In a press release following their assembly, the three ministers stated they’d work to rally worldwide assist in opposition to Israel’s “illegitimate measures” that embrace settlements’ enlargement, demolishing dozens of Palestinian properties and seizing their land.

“These are illegitimate Israeli actions on the bottom that have an effect on all possibilities to achieve a complete peace course of that may solely occur by the two-state answer,” stated Safadi, Jordan’s high diplomat, on the information convention.

The ministers stated of their assertion that Jerusalem’s standing must be resolved within the negotiations, calling for Israel “because the occupying energy, to cease all violations that focus on the Arab, Islamic and Christian identification of Jerusalem and its sanctuaries.”

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi additionally met with the Jordanian and Palestinian ministers, based on the Egyptian chief’s workplace.

He stated in a press release that Egypt has been working towards a two-state answer to the Israeli-Palestinian battle, “considering the regional and worldwide adjustments.”

He was apparently referring to the election of Biden because the U.S. president, and the normalization offers between Israel and 4 Arab nations together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

That offers, crafted by the Trump administration, dealt one other heavy setback for the Palestinians.