Shtayyeh Says Looking Forward to Tripartite Cairo Summit

Arab World

August 31st, 7:00am

Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat

Relatives of Palestinian Omar al-Nile, 12, who was shot on Saturday during a violent demonstration on the eastern border between Gaza and Israel, react during his funeral in the family home in Gaza City, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday that he is looking forward to the tripartite Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian summit to be held in Cairo soon. At the start of a cabinet session, the PM said the summit aims to urge the US administration to fulfill its promise on the establishment of two states and to end “racial” settlements, as well as resolving Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. The summit is expected to be held soon to coordinate positions over the latest developments in the region ahead of President Mahmoud Abbas's trip to the United Nations. The summit is planned after the meeting held between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden at the White House and prior to Abbas’ departure to New York. Last week, Biden discussed with the Israeli PM his view that a negotiated two-state solution is the only viable path to achieving a lasting resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, Bennett saw that now, only an economic solution is possible, a proposal that Palestinians have rejected. The Palestinians have been working with Egypt and Jordan for many months to develop a plan that enjoys Arab and US support to launch a new political process in the region that leads to direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The coordination began before Biden came to power and intensified after the 11-day fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in May. The US administration aims to find a comprehensive solution based on the two-state solution, not just a partial solution in the Palestinian enclave. Separately, Shtayyeh urged international legal organizations and Defense for Children International (DCI) to “stop the continuous killing and torture of Palestinian children.” He referred to the recent killing of Omar al-Nile, 12, who was shot on Saturday during a violent demonstration on the eastern border between Gaza and Israel, in addition to the kidnapping of 15-year-old Tareq Zbeideh who was tied, and beaten by settlers while picnicking with his friends near a settlement outpost.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3162226/shtayyeh-says-looking-forward-tripartite-cairo-summit