Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Thursday hosted a three-way summit with the king of Jordan and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Cairo's latest attempt to restart long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Cairo summit was preceded by separate meetings between the Egyptian leader and King Abdullah II and Mr Abbas.
During the summit, the three leaders sought to "co-ordinate positions and visions on a host of topics related to the Palestinian issue", according to a statement issued by Mr El Sisi’s media office.
Mr El Sisi said progress in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could come only after Palestinian factions set aside their differences.
"The realisation of the Palestinian people's hopes for an independent state will not come except after unifying ranks and ending the long-time divisions between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," the Egyptian president said.
The militant group Hamas in 2007 expelled from Gaza representatives of the moderate, West Bank-based Palestinian Authority led by Mr Abbas.
Hamas has been the sole ruler of the Mediterranean coastal strip since then as differences between the two sides deepened. Repeated attempts by Egypt to reconcile the two factions have failed. Egypt, however, has mediated an end to several rounds of violence in Gaza between Hamas and the Israelis.
Mr El Sisi's office said the summit "emphasised the need to integrate efforts by partners and brothers to revive the peace process and resume negotiations on the basis of legitimate international resolutions".
US-sponsored peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014.
Thursday’s summit followed a flurry of diplomatic activity involving Egypt, Jordan and Israel to find a formula acceptable to the Palestinians and Israelis to resume direct negotiations.
The intensified diplomatic contacts are rooted in large part in the hope that the departure in June of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister for more than a decade, could offer an opportunity to revive peace efforts.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met King Abdullah in Amman. The Jordanian monarch later met US President Joe Biden in the White House, where he raised the issue of Palestinian-Israeli talks.
In an interview with CNN, King Abdullah said he was encouraged after his meeting with the Israeli leader. “We really have to get back to the [negotiating] table,” he said.
The king met the Palestinian president in Amman soon after his return from Washington. During that meeting, Jordan’s state news agency said the monarch “affirmed the need to intensify international efforts to achieve a just peace”.
Egypt, for its part, has shown an appetite for effecting movement in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks since it successfully mediated an end to an 11-day war in the summer between Israel and Hamas.
Cairo has since quietly tried to cement the cessation of hostilities between the two sides, reconcile rival Palestinian factions and press ahead with a comprehensive reconstruction of the coastal strip.
The Cairo summit comes amid signs of what may be relative easing of tension between Mr Abbas's government and the Israelis. Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz travelled on Sunday to the Palestinian self-rule area in the West Bank for talks with the Palestinian leader, the highest-level meeting between the two sides in years.
However, Prime Minister Bennett, a nationalist who opposes Palestinian statehood, said the meeting was "routine".
"There is no diplomatic process with the Palestinians, nor will there be one," a source close to the Israeli leader told Reuters the day after the meeting.
But Israeli officials said on Monday that the government would lend the cash-starved Palestinian Authority $150 million.
Khaled Yacoub Oweis contributed to this report from Amman, Jordan
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
