Egypt FM expresses deep concern over Israel violence against Palestinians

Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, yesterday reiterated Egypt’s deep concern over the continuing escalation of violence and the intensity of deadly Israeli incursions into the West Bank.

This came in a meeting with Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The statement quoted Shoukry as saying that the Israeli incursions in the West Bank result in fatalities and injuries, which exacerbate tensions and resentment between the two sides. The statement added that the officials reviewed the ongoing Egyptian efforts to restore calm on the ground, including Egypt’s contributions in the high-level multi-party security meetings that were held in Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh earlier this year and stressed the need to implement the understandings reached to reduce tension.

The foreign minister stressed the need for concerted regional and international efforts, including in the United Nations, in order to stop the continuous escalation in the occupied territories and create a new climate conducive to reviving the peace process.

For his part, the UN coordinator said he looks forward to continuing coordination with Egypt in order to break the current stalemate in the peace process, stop the violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and restore hope for a final, comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian cause.

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