Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New Alamein City, Egypt, July 31, 2023. (Egyptian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)
CAIRO, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas discussed on Monday the recent developments in the Palestinian cause and the efforts to end the intra-Palestinian division.
During their meeting in Egypt's New Alamein City, the two leaders discussed the meeting of heads of Palestinian factions that took place on Sunday in the same city, during which the factions touched on efforts to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi welcomed the meeting of the Palestinian factions to complete the dialogue on various issues to restore national unity and end the political division that began in 2007.
The meeting, chaired by Abbas, was held on Sunday to discuss national reconciliation efforts amid increasing violence between the Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.
For his part, the Palestinian president noted that the Sunday meeting took place in the midst of domestic, regional and international developments, affirming that it provided an opportunity for discussion and an exchange of views on the best way to achieve national reconciliation.
During the meeting between Sisi and Abbas, they also discussed ways to coordinate positions and strategies on a number of issues pertaining to the Palestinian cause, especially the revival of the peace process, according to the statement.
Both leaders stressed the necessity of preserving the legitimate Palestinian rights and continuing efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
They also underscored the need to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international law and resolutions and the Arab peace initiative, in order to achieve security, stability and prosperity for all peoples of the region.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been sponsoring meetings between Palestinian factions for years, in addition to brokering truces between armed Palestinian movements and Israel.
Cairo has repeatedly reiterated its position that supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the internationally-recognized two-state solution. ■
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (2nd R) welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (2nd L) in New Alamein City, Egypt, July 31, 2023. (Egyptian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)
