Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has stressed the urgent need to move toward breaking the deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and to re-launch just peace negotiations based on UN Security Council resolutions.
The negotiations should guarantee the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state, according to the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
During a meeting between Egypt’s foreign minister and his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in Brussels on Sunday, the former stressed that Cairo would not hesitate to support all international efforts to achieve this goal.
Shoukry expressed his hope that the new Israeli government would not take any measures that could increase the possibilities of an escalation and thus undermine the chances of creating an appropriate climate for peace and stability.
He highlighted Egypt’s role in the reconstruction and the provision of aid to all Palestinian territories in cooperation with the Palestinian National Authority.
The FM stressed “the need to resolve the current stalemate between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, leading to just and comprehensive peace negotiations,” Foreign Minister Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said on Twitter.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz added that the two diplomats also discussed the issue of prisoners.
A reliable Palestinian source told the Palestinian Al-Ayyam newspaper that the ongoing negotiations regarding the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas have made huge progress. The first phase can now be implemented, he added, noting that it will be announced later.
Cairo continues to coordinate with regional and international parties for the sake of “resuming peace talks”, he stated.
