Israeli soldier on a tank. Illustrative photo.
Aqaba (Jordan) – Representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed today at a security meeting in Jordan to try to ease Israeli-Palestinian tensions and prevent further violence. They plan to meet again in Egypt, a month before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. During it, tensions in Israel are heightened, especially if, like this year, it coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover.
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Israel has promised not to approve new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank for four to six months, according to a statement from Jordan's foreign ministry. However, the daily Haaretz wrote, referring to its source, that the promise does not refer to the legalization of nine Jewish settlements from that month or the approval of the construction of 7,000 housing units in Jewish settlements from this week.
Today's meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, was attended by the director of the Israeli security services Shin Bet Ronen Bar and the head of the National Security Council Cachi Hanegbi, the head of the Palestinian secret service Majid Faraj, as well as the US national security coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and security officials of Jordan and Egypt.
According to The Times of Israel and Israeli and Palestinian representatives agreed to establish a joint security group to consider restoring Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation. It was interrupted a month ago after a raid by the Israeli army against Palestinian radicals in the occupied West Bank in Jenin, during which ten Palestinians died. The two sides also agreed in Jordan today to meet within a month in Egypt to assess “progress” in their efforts to ease tensions.
During today's talks in Jordan, news came from Israel that a Palestinian radical on He shot two Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
