Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Monday hosted in a tripartite summit King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Alamein City to discuss developments of the Palestinian cause in light of the current developments in the Palestinian territories and the regional and international situations of relevance.
During the summit, the leaders emphasised the priority given by the three countries to the international and Arab legal references for the settlement of the Palestinian cause, the final communiqué said.
Foremost of such references, the communiqué said, is the need to end the Israeli occupation of the territories of the state of Palestine, within a clear timetable, and to restore the Palestinian people to all their legitimate rights.
These, the communiqué added, include their right to self-determination and to an independent and sovereign state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, solving the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the realisation of the two-state solution in accordance with the endorsed references.
The president and King Abdullah II affirmed their full support for the efforts of Palestinian President Abbas to continue to defend the interests of the Palestinian people at all levels in order to restore their rights and secure international protection, the summit’s final communiqué said.
The summit also expressed support for the Palestinian state’s efforts to secure services and the protection of the basic rights of citizens in light of the difficult circumstances and challenges, the repeated aggression and the unfortunate events taking place in the Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, and in the midst of growing regional and international challenges.
The leaders emphasised that resolving the Palestinian cause and achieving a just and comprehensive peace is a strategic choice, a regional and international necessity, and a matter of international peace and security, the communiqué said.
They stressed that the only way to achieve this peace is the implementation of relevant United Nations and Security Council resolutions, empowering the Palestinian people with their inalienable rights and ending the Israeli occupation, the communiqué said. An independent and sovereign state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, it added, would realise the two-state solution based on the rules of international law, the agreed-upon references and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The leaders also stressed that Israel must implement its obligations and commitments in accordance with international law, international humanitarian law, and previous international agreements and understandings, including those concluded with the Palestinian side, as well as the multiple previous commitments, including what came in the outputs of the Aqaba and Sharm al-Sheikh meetings.
In this context, the leaders stressed the need for Israel to respect its obligations as the occupying power in the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, to stop its incursions into the occupied West Bank cities that undermine the ability of the Palestinian government and security to carry out their duties, and to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The leaders also emphasised the importance of Israel releasing the Palestinian money it holds without legal basis, in contravention of the agreements concluded in this regard.
The leaders condemned the continuation and escalation of illegal Israeli practices that undermine the rights of all the Palestinian people, violate the rules of international law, undermine the internationally-agreed upon two-state solution, and lead to igniting violence and spreading chaos.
They also expressed the importance of Israel, as the occupying power, stopping all settlement activities, the confiscation of Palestinian lands, the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their homes, and the alteration of the character and identity of the city of Jerusalem, which represent a flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, the tripartite summit’s final communiqué said.
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