Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine urge for ending Israeli occupation, peace talks revival

CAIRO -- Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine stressed on Monday the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands in order to revive peace and the Palestinian cause, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a tripartite conference in Egypt's coastal city of New Alamein, where the three leaders touched on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

The leaders emphasized the need for the Palestinian people to obtain their entire legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, resolving the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international legitimacy resolution, and achieving the two-state solution based on the approved references.

The leaders also emphasized the necessity of Israel to implement its obligations and pledges in accordance with international law, international humanitarian law, previous international agreements and understandings, including the outcomes of the al-Aqaba meeting.

The Arab leaders urged Israel to stop its attacks against the Palestinians and raids in the occupied West Bank cities, and called on Israel to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the leaders required Israel to release the Palestinian funds it holds without any legal basis.

The three leaders voiced their intention to continue their efforts with the main international players and to revive a serious peace process on the basis of international law, peace references, within a mechanism, and a specific timetable.

Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has repeatedly reiterated its position that supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the internationally-recognized two-state solution.