Palestine to attend security meeting with Israel in Egypt Sharm El-Sheikh

The Palestinian Authority (PA) said Wednesday it will participate in a security meeting with Israel in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh this weekend, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Egypt, Jordan and the US will attend the meeting, due on 19 March.

The agreement to participate in the meeting came following a meeting between Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)’s Executive Committee, and US Special Envoy for Palestinian Affairs, Hady Amr, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

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A statement by Al-Sheikh’s office said the meeting was “in preparation for the five-party meeting that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday.”

The meeting discussed a host of bilateral and regional issues, including the latest developments in the Palestinian Territories, the statement said.

Last month, Palestinian and Israeli delegates attended a meeting in Jordan, along with Egypt and the US, in an effort to ease tension in the Palestinian Territories.

Participants in the meeting agreed to take steps to advance confidence-building measures and to renew security cooperation between the PA and Israel.

Tension escalated across the Palestinian Territories in recent weeks amid repeated Israeli military raids into Palestinian towns.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 80 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the beginning of this year. Fourteen Israelis were also killed in separate attacks during the same period.

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