Egypt's Foreign Ministry announced that the country will host on Sunday a five-way meeting of high-level political and security officials Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and American. Palestinian factions condemned the participation of the PA in the "security summit" in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egyptian ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that the meeting comes "within the framework of regional and international efforts aimed at achieving and supporting calm between the Palestinian and Israeli sides."
He added that it is "a continuation of the discussions that took place at the Aqaba meeting last February." This paves the way for the creation of a favourable climate that contributes to the resumption of the peace process.
On Saturday, Palestinian factions called on the PNA not to participate in the "security summit" to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egypt will host a five-way meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh today with the participation of high-level political and security officials from Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and the United States, as part of efforts to achieve and support calm between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) March 19, 2023
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."
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) also called on the Palestinian Authority not to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh security summit.
The movement's spokesman, Hazem Qassem, denounced – in a statement – "the PA's announcement of its intention to participate in another security meeting with Israeli participation."
On February 26, a five-way meeting was held in the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, in the presence of representatives of the United States, Jordan and Egypt.
Last Wednesday, the Palestinian leadership decided to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, according to a statement issued by the office of PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein al-Sheikh.
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.