Palestinian president meets Egypt foreign minister in Ramallah

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Ramallah on Monday.

The top Egyptian diplomat arrived in the city aboard a Jordanian helicopter from Amman, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.

The meeting came days after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire came into effect on Friday between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel, putting an end to 11 days of fighting.

Earlier Monday, Shoukry met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman where the two diplomats warned of another round of escalation in the Palestinian territories.

"What Israel is doing in the West Bank necessitates Egypt communicating with Jordan," Shoukri said, pointing to "the importance of crystallizing an international position to stabilize the calm."

Recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

At least 279 Palestinians were killed – 248 in Gaza and 31 in the West Bank – and more than 1,900 others injured in Israeli attacks since mid-April, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Twelve Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, scores of Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem for the first time in three weeks, inviting the ire of Palestinians.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara