Israeli and Palestinian authorities are set to meet in Egypt on Sunday to secure peace in the Middle East before the holy month of Ramadan. Egypt is to host personnel from both nations in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The five-way meeting is a US and Jordanian government-supported event. It is being held against the backdrop of escalating violence and tensions in the region. There is widespread fear that the upcoming days leading up to Ramadan, will see further expansion of the conflict. The meeting in Egypt constitutes an important attempt at brokering peace between the two rivals in a run-up to the Ramadan festivities.
The Egyptian foreign ministry commented that the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh is aimed at securing calm and de-escalating tensions. It was reiterated that unilateral action and curbing violence could be achieved through dialogue. Through dialogue between the stakeholders involved the appropriate environment for peace negotiations could be created.
Israeli media reports that the nation’s delegation is going to be led by the National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. Intelligence chief of the government Ronen Bar and military general Ghassan Alian are also slated to join the delegation.
However, the talks are receiving condemnation from groups on both sides of the conflict for their ineffectiveness in reducing violence. Aside from Fatah (formerly the ‘Palestinian National Liberation Movement’) which governs the Palestinian Authority (PA), all other Palestinian parties boycotted the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting. This includes groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Hamas has openly declared that it would not participate in the conference and would boycott it. Senior member and spokesperson of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq commented that US and European governments, while condemning Israel’s occupation, refrain from taking concrete steps to exert pressure on Israeli action.
In the past, violence has broken out at the Al Aqsa mosque (Qibli mosque) in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinian citizens at the mosque, termed the third holiest site in Islam.
The talks on Sunday, come after a US-organized conference in Aqaba, Jordan on Feb 26, between Israel and Palestine. At the meeting, pledges were undertaken by both sides to curb violence and de-escalate the tense situation.
However, the Aqaba Summit proved to be ineffective in curbing violent conflict. Although Israel pledged to stop building new illegal settlements for a few months at the summit, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated a few hours after the pledge that no such commitments were ever made. The Israeli National Security Advisor clarified on Twitter, that the Israeli policy will remain the same and that the building of settlements will continue.
A tense situation has persisted in the occupied Palestinian territories for over a year now. Israeli forces conduct routine raids and engage in the killing of Palestinians. It also built numerous settlements and outposts for Israeli settlers on the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. The occupation that began in 1967, prevents a separate Palestinian state from ever being formed and an endless cycle of death.
The threat of violence looms larger this year, owing to the ascendancy of a far-right Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 89 Palestinians have been killed this year alone, as per the data of the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
