26.02.2023
Palestinian and Israeli officials pledged, at the conclusion of a meeting sponsored by Arab-Americans in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, to “reduce escalation and prevent further violence.” The meeting took place at a critical time, as Israel announced the killing of two of its citizens near Nablus.
Held in the coastal city of Aqaba in the far south of Jordan on Sunday (February 26, 2023). political security meeting between representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli sides to “discuss calm” after days of bloody violence, according to an official Jordanian source.
The official Jordanian TV channel, Al-Mamlaka, reported that the Aqaba meeting (328 km south of Amman), the first of its kind in years, between the Palestinians and the Israelis, “just ended with agreement on a number of steps.”
The meeting took place between the head of the Palestinian intelligence service, Majed Faraj, and the head of the Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, according to informed sources. An Israeli government official in Jerusalem told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Israeli delegation also includes National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Joint statement
In a joint statement issued after the meeting ended, Israel committed itself to stop “discussing the establishment of any new settlement units for four months and to stop approving any new settlements for six months.” According to the statement, the Palestinian and Israeli sides affirmed their “joint readiness and commitment to work immediately to stop unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months.”
Palestinian and Israeli officials vowed to “de-escalate the situation on the ground and prevent further violence.”
The statement, distributed by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that “the Palestinian and Israeli sides affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them (…) and reaffirmed the need to commit to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence.”
The two sides also agreed, according to the statement, to “support confidence-building steps in order to address outstanding issues through direct dialogue.” They also agreed to meet again next month in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II plays a pivotal role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
A meeting with Arab and American participation
The meeting was held in the presence of security officials from Jordan and Egypt, as well as the White House coordinator for security affairs for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, according to informed sources. Egypt, the United States and Jordan considered the understandings “a positive progress towards reactivating relations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.”
The five parties: Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt and the United States agreed “to continue the meetings according to this formula, to maintain the positive momentum, and to build on what was agreed upon in terms of reaching a more comprehensive political process leading to the achievement of a just and lasting peace.”
Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled since 2014.
For his part, Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed, during his meeting with McGurk, on Sunday, “the importance of intensifying efforts to push for calm and de-escalation in the Palestinian territories, and to stop any unilateral measures that would destabilize stability and undermine the chances of achieving peace,” according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Royal Court. .
An official Jordanian source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that this meeting “comes in the context of efforts to stop unilateral measures to reach a period of calm and confidence-building measures to reach a more comprehensive political engagement between the two sides.”
The shooting, which targeted a vehicle, took place at a crossroads near the village of Hawara, between the cities of Nablus and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
A meeting at a critical time
The meeting coincided with the killing of two Israelis in a “Palestinian terrorist” attack in the occupied West Bank, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The joint statement issued by the Prime Minister said Benjamin Netanyahu And National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, “On this difficult day (…) two Israeli citizens were killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack.”
The shooting, which targeted a vehicle, took place at a crossroads near the village of Hawara, between the cities of Nablus and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
According to a spokesman for the Magen David Adom Ambulance Service, told AFP, two injured people were taken to hospital, before their death was later announced. The Israeli army confirmed “the pursuit of terrorists and the closure of the area.”
An AFP photographer spotted Israeli security forces deployed along the road and proceeded to search passing vehicles.
Following the attack, the Israeli settlement minister, Orit Struck, called on the “Israeli delegation to return immediately” from the Aqaba meeting.
The attack comes several days after Israeli military operation Wednesday in the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, which led to 11 Palestinians were killed More than 80 others were injured.
A.H./A.H (AFP)
