Sisi, Abdullah II, Abbas Summit Condemns ‘Settler Terrorism,’ Stresses Arab Initiative

Snapshot from the tripartite summit in Al-Alamein (Egyptian Presidency)
Snapshot from the tripartite summit in Al-Alamein (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi, Abdullah II, Abbas Summit Condemns ‘Settler Terrorism,’ Stresses Arab Initiative

Snapshot from the tripartite summit in Al-Alamein (Egyptian Presidency)
Snapshot from the tripartite summit in Al-Alamein (Egyptian Presidency)

The Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian tripartite summit, hosted by the city of New Alamein (northwest of Egypt) on Monday, condemned the ongoing and escalating “unlawful” Israeli practices that undermine the rights of the Palestinian people.

The summit called for the “necessity of halting (settler terrorism) and extremist currents and holding them accountable.”

It also condemned the violation of the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctuaries and called for an end to incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Emphasizing the importance of international and Arab legal references, the summit, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, prioritized the resolution of the Palestinian issue.

This includes the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories within a clear timeline.

The leaders affirmed their commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative in its entirety, considering it the “most comprehensive approach to achieving a just peace and meeting the aspirations of all peoples in the region for a stable future characterized by coexistence, development, and cooperation among all its nations and states.”

They highlighted that resolving the Palestinian issue and achieving a just and comprehensive peace is a “strategic choice, regional and international necessity, and a matter of international security and peace.”

In its concluding statement, the summit called for a halt to “unlawful Israeli practices that undermine the rights of the entire Palestinian people, violate the rules of international law, and undermine the internationally agreed upon two-state solution, leading to violence and chaos.”

The three leaders underscored the importance of Israel, as the occupying power, ceasing all settlement activities, confiscation of Palestinian lands, forced displacement of Palestinian people from their homes, and altering the character and identity of Jerusalem.

Israeli acts represent a “blatant violation of international law and legitimate international resolutions”, they stated.

In the same context, Egyptian and Palestinian presidents affirmed the historical Hashemite guardianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, highlighting its role in preserving its Arab-Islamic and Christian identity.

 

 



Syria's New Foreign Minister to Appear at the UN in His First US Visit

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, left, and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a round table meeting at the 9th international conference in support of Syria at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, left, and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a round table meeting at the 9th international conference in support of Syria at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
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Syria's New Foreign Minister to Appear at the UN in His First US Visit

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, left, and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a round table meeting at the 9th international conference in support of Syria at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, left, and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a round table meeting at the 9th international conference in support of Syria at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani was set to raise his country’s new flag at the United Nations headquarters in New York Friday and to attend a UN Security Council briefing, the first public appearance by a high-ranking Syrian government official in the United States since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning opposition offensive in December.

The three-starred flag that had previously been used by opposition groups has replaced the two-starred flag of the Assad era as the country's official emblem, the Associated Press said.

The new authorities in Damascus have been courting Washington in hopes of receiving relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by the US and its allies in the wake of Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war.

A delegation of Syrian officials traveled to the United States this week to attend World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington and UN meetings in New York. It was unclear if Trump administration officials would meet with al-Shibani during the visit.

The Trump administration has yet to officially recognize the current Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led the offensive that toppled Assad. Washington has also so far left the sanctions in place, although it has provided temporary relief to some restrictions. The opposition group al-Sharaa led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remains a US-designated terrorist organization.

Two Republican members of the US Congress, Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, arrived in Damascus last week on an unofficial visit organized by a Syrian-American nonprofit and met with al-Sharaa and other government officials.

Mills told The Associated Press before meeting with al-Sharaa that “ultimately, it’s going to be the president’s decision” to lift sanctions or not, although he said that “Congress can advise.”

Mills later told Bloomberg News that he had discussed the US conditions for sanctions relief with al-Sharaa, including ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons left over from the Assad era, coordinating on counter-terrorism, making a plan to deal with foreign militants who fought alongside the armed opposition to Assad, and providing assurances to Israel that Syria would not pose a threat.

He also said that al-Sharaa had said Syria could normalize relations with Israel “under the right conditions,” without specifying what those conditions are.

Other Western countries have warmed up to the new Syrian authorities more quickly. The British government on Thursday lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, and the European Union has begun to roll back its sanctions.