RAMALLAH, Thursday, October 7, 2021 – President Mahmoud Abbas discussed yesterday with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the latest developments on the Palestinian arena.

During a phone call with President Abbas, President al-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s ongoing efforts and contacts in support of the Palestinian cause. He reaffirmed Egypt’s firm and longstanding support for the Palestinian people and state under President Abbas’ leadership, and reiterated that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) remains the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Al-Sisi also briefed President Abbas on the outcomes of his recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He stressed the importance of advancing peace efforts, pursuing confidence-building measures, and creating a conducive environment for launching a political process based on United Nations resolutions.

The Egyptian President emphasized his country’s continued commitment to fostering Palestinian national unity, supporting the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip, and moving forward with Gaza’s reconstruction. He also underlined Egypt’s efforts to maintain security and stability across the occupied Palestinian territories and to reinforce the PLO’s role.

President Abbas thanked President al-Sisi for Egypt’s consistent support of the Palestinian people’s struggle to attain their legitimate rights to freedom and independence. He reiterated the Palestinian leadership’s readiness to engage under the auspices of the Middle East Quartet—comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations and in accordance with international legitimacy, to end the Israeli occupation of the territory of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed the importance of achieving comprehensive calm throughout the Palestinian territories and halting Israeli military operations and settler attacks against Palestinians, warning that such actions threaten the viability of the two-state solution. President Abbas further renewed his readiness to establish a Palestinian unity government whose participating factions would commit to international legitimacy.

K.F.