Israeli-Palestinian talks in Egypt aim to ‘restore calm’

AFP | Cairo

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

Israeli and Palestinian officials were holding talks in Egypt yesterday “to restore calm” after a surge in deadly violence in the occupied West Bank, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.

The meeting, which follows similar talks last month in Jordan where both sides pledged to prevent more violence, comes amid concerns of a feared escalation during the holy month of Ramadan starting in the coming week.

The meeting is aimed at “supporting dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to put a stop to unilateral actions and escalation and break the cycle of violence”, Egypt’s foreign ministry added.

Officials from Egypt, Jordan and the United States were attending the meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, it added.

Hussein al-Sheikh, Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) secretary general, said Saturday on Twitter that the Palestinian delegation would participate “to demand an end to the continuous Israeli aggression against us”.

Few details have emerged from the talks, but the efforts were already rejected by militant Palestinian factions.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 86 Palestinian adults and children this year.

Thirteen Israeli adults and children, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.