The final statement of the Sharm el-Sheikh security meeting said that the participants affirmed their commitment to promoting stability and peace for Palestinians and Israelis, while the UN envoy for peace in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, acknowledged on Sunday the difficulty of containing the escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem due to the lack of trust between the two sides.
This comes amid the condemnation of the Palestinian factions participation in the "security summit" in Sharm el-Sheikh, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of the Israeli government's attempt to accuse the Palestinian people of any escalation during the month of Ramadan.
On Sunday, the city of Sharm el-Sheikh hosted a five-way security meeting to support the truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, with the participation of the United States, Egypt and Jordan.
The final communiqué called for measures to build and strengthen trust and open political horizons between Palestinians and Israelis. The following are the items of the final communiqué
UN concerns
Earlier on Sunday, UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland acknowledged on Sunday the difficulty of containing the escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem due to mistrust between the Palestinians and the Israeli occupation.
Wennesland said it was very difficult to agree on a strategy to contain the escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan, due to the lack of trust between Israelis and Palestinians.
Wennesland added that the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships need to make strategic decisions in order for the holy month of Ramadan to pass without escalation.
The UN envoy explained that the implementation of the understandings of the Aqaba meeting can help push things in the right direction.
Regarding the Israeli government's disavowal of the results of the Aqaba meeting, Wennesland said that no one can say that he does not agree with what he signed.
Wennesland stressed that ensuring calm and peace in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is key to maintaining calm in Gaza; he said the Israeli government was not paying enough attention to settler violence, noting that the Huwara incident could not be repeated.
Palestinian Warning
In a related context, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of the Israeli government's attempt to accuse the Palestinian people of any escalation during the month of Ramadan.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli government and its proxies bear full and direct responsibility for the wave of escalation, and the continued incursions and attacks on Palestinian cities, whether by the occupation army or settler militias and their terrorist associations.
This year witnessed an unprecedented Israeli escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which resulted in the martyrdom of 84 Palestinians, including 15 children, women and prisoners in Israeli prisons, while 14 Israelis were killed in separate operations.
Factional condemnation
In turn, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Sunday condemned the participation of the Palestinian National Authority in the five-year Sharm el-Sheikh security meeting, in support of calm between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
The movement said in a statement that the frequency of Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people increased after the security meeting in the city of Aqaba, Jordan, last February.
Hamas renewed its call on the PA to immediately stop slipping into dangerous security projects aimed at resisting the Palestinian people. It also called on the PA to "stop all forms of security coordination with the occupation and its security services."
On Saturday, Palestinian factions called on the PNA not to participate in the "security summit" in Sharm el-Sheikh.
This came according to statements issued by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Islamic Jihad, the People's Party, the Democratic Front and the Democratic Union (Fida).
In a joint statement, the PFLP condemned "in the strongest terms the authority's insistence on participating in the Sharm el-Sheikh security summit, which constitutes a coup against the popular will."
The statement added that Israel "is taking advantage of these summits and security meetings to launch more aggression against our people."
In another joint statement, the People's Party, the Democratic Front and the Fida called on Egypt and Jordan to "cancel" the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting and not to proceed with "this path that is extremely dangerous for the Palestinian people and their just rights."
The three factions called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "stop Palestinian participation in this meeting."
Gaza Protests
In Gaza, the Palestinian People's Congress and youth organizations organized a protest in Gaza City to reject the Sharm el-Sheikh security meeting discussing calm in the West Bank.
In a statement, the Palestinian People's Congress expressed its rejection of the Sharm el-Sheikh security meeting, which is being held with the occupation and in which the Palestinian Authority participates without national consensus, according to the statement.
The statement denounced what it called the Palestinian Authority's capitulatory approach, calling for an escalation of all forms of protest.
The Palestinian People's Congress described participation in the meeting as a continuation of the conspiracy against the resistance and the people's choice, calling for an end to the Palestinian division, and unity behind the resistance, according to the statement.
Continuous escalation
Since the five-year Aqaba meeting was held in Jordan on February 26, the unprecedented Israeli escalation that began before the conference has not stopped.
Five days after an Israeli massacre in Nablus, coinciding with the Aqaba meeting, two settlers were killed in a shooting attack, while one Palestinian was killed and dozens injured in mass attacks by settlers and occupying forces in the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus in the West Bank.
The following day, a Palestinian was killed and more than 100 injured in Huwwara town and nearby villages by settlers in response to the Huwwara operation.
On 7 March, six Palestinians were killed and others injured when large numbers of Israeli occupation forces stormed Jenin city and camp.
Two days later, Israeli special forces from the undercover unit assassinated three Palestinians inside their vehicle at the entrance to the town of Jaba, south of Jenin.
A week ago, the Palestinian group Areen al-Aswad announced that three of its members had been killed in an armed clash near the Sarra military checkpoint, southwest of Nablus.
Last Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that 4 civilians had been killed by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin refugee camp.