Palestine and Egypt today agreed to pursue coordinated efforts to prevent Israel’s illegal move to annex large swaths of the West Bank.
Speaking during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Ramallah, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki stated that they agreed to pursue coordinated efforts to prevent Israel’s annexation plan and provide the suitable atmosphere conducive to the resumption of peace talks based on the international law and the approved and agreed upon terms of reference.
He thanked Egypt for leading the efforts designed to help the Palestinian people realize their legitimate rights and aspirations to real independence and statehood and prevent any action that curtails these rights and aspirations.
Meanwhile, Shoukri reiterated his country’s inevitable support to the Palestinian leadership and pointed out that he was tasked with conveying a message of solidarity and commitment to defend the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights.
“We seek to find the proper framework for the resumption of the political track based on the UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, and for the resumption of talks conducive to the two-state solution, the optimal solution which allows the Palestinians and Israelis to live peacefully away from conflict,” he stated.
“Egypt has expressed its unequivocal rejection to any unilateral measures that may have a negative impact on the peace process, including any move towards annexing any part of the occupied Palestinian territories,” he added.
The joint press conference followed a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Shoukry at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
During the meeting, Abbas briefed the Egyptian diplomat on the latest political developments, with focus on the diplomatic efforts to prevent Israel’s annexation move.
