Jordan, Egypt, Palestine reject Israel’s attempts to change status quo in Jerusalem

Middle East Monitor  /  September 3, 2021

The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority yesterday rejected Israel’s illegal measures that undermine the two-state solution, the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, land seizures, house demolitions and attempts to change the status quo in East Jerusalem.

A joint statement issued at the conclusion of a summit that brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo stressed on the importance of “the historical Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, its role in protecting these holy sites, as well as its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity”.

“The summit stressed on the need to prevent the displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem neighbourhoods, especially Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, and to stop all unilateral measures that undermine peace efforts, and the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy,” the statement said.

Al-Sisi and King Abdullah II affirmed countries’ firm support for the Palestinian people and their just and legitimate rights, having an independent, sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The three leaders affirmed that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is a strategic option and a necessity for regional and international peace.