Sisi, Abbas Discuss Palestinian Reconciliation, Stability in Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Egyptian Presidential Palace. (Egyptian President Spokesman via Facebook)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Egyptian Presidential Palace. (Egyptian President Spokesman via Facebook)
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Sisi, Abbas Discuss Palestinian Reconciliation, Stability in Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Egyptian Presidential Palace. (Egyptian President Spokesman via Facebook)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Egyptian Presidential Palace. (Egyptian President Spokesman via Facebook)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday the latest Palestinian developments and the peace process in the Middle East.

Abbas was in Cairo at the head of a delegation that includes head of the Civil Affairs Authority Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the General Intelligence Service Major General Majed Faraj, and the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh.

The meeting at the Egyptian Presidential Palace was also attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shokry and Chief of General Intelligence Directorate Abbas Kamel.

Sisi stressed that the Palestinian cause is a political priority for Egypt, said presidential spokesman Bassam Rady.

He stressed that Egypt would back Palestine in whatever demands it made toward a peaceful settlement and the restoration of the legitimate rights of its people, based on international resolutions and agreements.

Sisi emphasized that the current stage requires solidarity and intensification of all Arab efforts to resume the peace process negotiations.

The two leaders agreed to maintain intensive consultations and coordination to follow up on the measures needed to be taken during the coming period, seeking to resolve the current situation by returning to the negotiations table.

The meeting also witnessed a review of the Egyptian efforts to ensure stability in the Gaza Strip. Sisi explained that his country seeks to maintain the security and stability of the Palestinian people and help improve the humanitarian, living and economic conditions in the enclave.

Egypt will continue with its efforts to complete the reconciliation process and achieve political consensus within the framework of a unified vision of all Palestinian, he stressed.

The Egyptian spokesman quoted Abbas as reiterating the importance of coordinating and consulting with Sisi on the overall Palestinian situation.

He commended Egypt on its positions and role in supporting the Palestinian people’s rights to freedom and independence, as well as on its ongoing efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.

On Sunday, Sisi received a call from King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss latest Palestinian developments, efforts to resume negotiations and bring about peace in the Middle East.

The call touched upon promotion of bilateral ties, trade exchange and cooperation in the fields of energy and electricity between both countries, as well as the latest regional developments, said Rady.



Separate Israeli Drone Strikes Kill 4 People in Lebanon

Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
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Separate Israeli Drone Strikes Kill 4 People in Lebanon

Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)

An Israeli drone strike on Thursday hit a car at an army checkpoint in the southern port city of Sidon, killing three people and wounding several others, including Lebanese soldiers and UN peacekeepers, Lebanon’s state news agency and the army said.

The Lebanese army said in a communique that three soldiers and four Malaysian peacekeepers were injured.

The National News Agency said one of the wounded was taken to the hospital while the peacekeepers were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the attack at the northern entrance of Sidon, Lebanon’s third-largest city. There was no immediate information on the identities of those who died.

The UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL said in a statement that a convoy bringing newly-arrived peacekeepers to south Lebanon was passing by when a drone strike took place near it. The strike lightly injured five peacekeepers, it said.
“We remind all actors of their obligation to avoid actions putting peacekeepers or civilians in danger. Differences should be resolved at the negotiating table, not through violence,” the statement said.

A drone strike earlier Thursday hit a car on a main highway just outside Beirut, killing one woman, according to local media.

The attack took place near Araya, where several similar drone strikes have taken place in the past week.