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Israeli and Palestinian officials vowed to reduce escalating violence after Sunday’s meeting, issuing a joint statement in which Israel said it would end discussions on new settlement units in the West Bank it has occupied for four months.
Attended by senior US, Jordanian and Egyptian officials in addition to Israeli and Palestinian delegations, the meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, was the first in many years.
The Israeli and Palestinian sides said in a statement that they would work hard to prevent “further violence” and “reaffirmed the need to carry out de-escalation on the ground.” He reaffirmed his commitment to the previous agreement.
Jordan, along with its allies Egypt and the United States, said the meeting marked “major progress in rebuilding and expanding relations between the two sides.”
But underscoring the challenge, Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, called the meeting “pointless,” and condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for taking part.
The meeting was held amid concerns over an escalation of violence during the holy month of Ramadan which began at the end of March.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority “confirmed their mutual readiness and commitment to work immediately to end unilateral measures within three to six months,” the statement said.
“This includes Israel’s commitment to end discussions on new settlement units within four months and end the authorization of any outpost within six months.”
Implications for the Netanyahu government
This could cause problems for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has responsibility for Jewish settlements in the West Bank, quickly said he would not honor the agreement.
“I don’t know what was said or not in Jordan,” Smotrich wrote on Twitter. “But one thing I know: there will be no freeze in the building and development in the settlement, even for a day (it is in my power).”
The Palestinians aim to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital – territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war.
But peace talks have stalled since 2014 and Palestinians say the expansion of Jewish settlements has undermined the possibility of a state being established.
Israel on February 12 granted retroactive authorization to nine Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank and announced the mass construction of new homes in established settlements.
A senior Israeli official said there would be no change in the previous decision regarding the authorization of the outposts and 9,500 housing units. Netanyahu apparently downplayed any commitment, saying Israel would continue to build settlements along previous plans, and said it “will not freeze.”
The UN Security Council issued an official statement on February 20 denouncing Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, the first action the United States has allowed the body to take against Israel’s ally in six years.
‘Historic Group’
US President Joe Biden thanked Jordanian King Abdullah for “putting together this historic meeting,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
“We recognize that this meeting is a starting point and that there is much work to be done in the coming weeks and months to build a stable and prosperous future for Israel and Palestine. Implementation will be critical,” he said.
The participants will meet again in March in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. They agreed to “maintain the positive momentum and expand this agreement into a broader political process that leads to a just and lasting peace,” the statement said.
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