Middle East Monitor / February 25, 2021
The Palestinian Authority ambassador and the Council of Arab Ambassadors to the UN continue to meet and have contact with the members of the Middle East Quartet, Security Council and influential countries in a bid to revive the [so-called] peace process, Wafa news agency reported on Wednesday.
During the latest emergency meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers, the PA and Arab diplomats at the UN were asked to work for the re-activation of the Quartet. The plan is to explore the feasibility of the political process based on the initiative of President Mahmoud Abbas to hold an international peace conference.
Palestine’s Permanent Observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, told Voice of Palestine radio that an important meeting was held between the Council of Arab Ambassadors and the Russian ambassador to the UN. This, he confirmed, was on the initiative of the Palestine delegation.
Mansour also said that a meeting with the European Union delegate was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, while another meeting with the UN Secretary-General is going to take place on Friday in the efforts to revive the Middle East peace process. He added that a meeting will also take place with the US representative to the UN when she is confirmed, which will conclude the consultations with the individual members of the Quartet.
The Palestinian diplomat pointed out that the Security Council is going to hold a session on Friday to discuss the situation in Palestine.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine during a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.
The State Department revealed that Blinken “addressed the US approach towards a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous future for Israelis, Palestinians, and the greater Middle East,” reported Anadolu. “The Secretary also emphasised the Biden Administration’s belief that the two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace alongside a viable and democratic Palestinian state.”
