Israeli, Palestinian officials meet in Jordan after deadly violence

Palestinian and Israeli representatives began a meeting on Sunday, February 26 “politico-security” in the city of Aqaba (Jordan) to discuss a lull in the occupied Palestinian territories, after several days of deadly violence, announced the Jordanian authorities. This meeting comes after a new raid by the Israeli army on Wednesday in Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 11 Palestinians were killed and more than 80 wounded by bullets during this raid in this autonomous Palestinian area.

“A meeting began on Sunday in Aqaba, the first of its kind in years, between Palestinians and Israelis with regional and international participation to discuss the situation in the Palestinian Territories”confirmed Jordanian state television.

Hamas denounces Palestinian Authority involvement

Participation in this meeting is not unanimous in Palestine. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party will attend the meeting”despite the pain and the massacres that the Palestinian people suffer” in order to “put an end to the bloodshed”, he explained on Twitter.

But other Palestinian factions disagree with this decision. Hamas thus condemned in a press release the participation of the Palestinian Authority, judging “the encounter with the Zionists as a break with the Palestinian national consensus, a disregard for the blood of the martyrs, an open attempt to cover up the crimes of the occupation, and a green light to commit further violations against our people, our earth and our holy places.”