Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian Summit in Cairo Thursday

Jordanian King Abdullah meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab summit at the Dead Sea in 2017 (AFP photo)
Jordanian King Abdullah meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab summit at the Dead Sea in 2017 (AFP photo)
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian Summit in Cairo Thursday

Jordanian King Abdullah meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab summit at the Dead Sea in 2017 (AFP photo)
Jordanian King Abdullah meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab summit at the Dead Sea in 2017 (AFP photo)

The tripartite Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian summit will be held in Cairo on Thursday, an Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said the meeting aims to unify the Arab position towards the resumption of negotiations with the United States on peace talks.

“The summit should build on a unified Arab stand concerning the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and on the contacts held with Washington following the visit of Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns to Cairo, Ramallah and Tel Aviv two weeks ago,” the source said.

He added that one of the results of Burns’ talks in the region is the recent meeting held between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

The summit will bring together Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Abbas.

A Jordanian source revealed that the summit mainly seeks to coordinate positions over the latest developments in the region ahead of Abbas's trip to the United Nations, where he is expected to deliver a speech.

On Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that he is looking forward to the tripartite summit to urge the US administration to fulfill its promise on the establishment of two states and to end “racial” settlements, as well as resolving Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.



Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
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Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire.

In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces.

Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation.

The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces.

The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting.