Media concentration affects democracy says Atilio Boron

Egypt urges Israel to negotiate in Jerusalem and avoid change

During a phone call, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen that maintaining that city’s current state has a direct impact on easing tensions, that nation’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

He also stressed the need to work to reactivate the peace process as soon as possible as it is the only way to achieve a two-state solution, Shoukry said.

The return to talks will be the path to establishing the Palestinian state and achieving stability and comprehensive peace for the peoples of the region, he stressed, according to the text.

The head of Egyptian diplomacy assured that his government would continue its efforts to maintain calm between Palestinians and Israelis.

In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace agreement with Israel, and in recent decades it has become an indispensable mediator between the parties.

Cairo played a key role in ending the Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip last August, which killed 49 Palestinians, including 17 minors.

That nation’s efforts were also essential to secure a ceasefire in another attack on the coastal enclave in May 2021 that left more than 250 people dead.

The call came two days after a summit in that capital between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi; and from Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, who criticized Israeli colonization and confiscation of land, demolitions of houses, and expulsion of Arabs in the West Bank.

In addition, they called on the international community to protect these people who are fighting for their legitimate rights.

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