On the advent of a much-anticipated meeting between a US delegation dispatched by President Donald Trump and leaders from a few Middle Eastern key players, they have welcomed the initiative according to AFP.
On Saturday, the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers, along with the Palestinian Authority (PA) official in charge of foreign affairs, announced their support for the efforts of Trump Administration aimed at brokering a new peace deal in the region.
The diplomats met in Cairo prior to the arrival of the US delegation led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s adviser and son-in-law.
Jordan, Egypt and the PA said in a joint statement that they are looking forward to the US Government’s intensifying its efforts in the Middle East.
Meanwhile they reiterated that “any peace agreement should be based on international legitimacy and UN resolutions and 2002 Arab Peace Initiative”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has also hailed Donald Trump’s peace efforts.
Israel says it is ready to talk while the PA keeps imposing preconditions which resulted in a standstill since 2014.
As part of his trip, Mr. Kushner is meeting leaders from Israel, Saudi Arabia, PA, Qatar, UAE, Jordan and Egypt.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians heightened recently since Israel imposed enhanced security measures, including metal detectors, at the Al-Aqsa mosque after two Israeli policemen were killed in a shooting there on July 14.
Muslim leaders on July 21 urged worshippers not to enter the compound until Israel removed the detectors.
On July 25, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu office said the detectors would be replaced by less-obtrusive means of surveillance, without providing details.
In response, Muslim leaders on July 27 told worshipers they could once again enter the mosque compound, ending the two-week-long protest.