Cairo: Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi has stressed his country’s firm stance on the necessity of preserving the legal and historical status of Jerusalem in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo.
Both leaders held a prolonged meeting on Monday and discussed the recent developments after the US recognition of occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, spokesman for Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said in a statement, Xinhua reported.
Al Sissi stressed Egypt’s support for establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Rady noted.
Meanwhile, Abbas said the US decision was surprising at a time when the Palestinian National Authority showed flexibility and readiness to reach a settlement based on the two-state solution and recognition of East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital in line with the pre-1967 borders.
The two sides tackled the dangerous repercussions of the US decision on the status of occupied Jerusalem and the Middle East peace process, the spokesman said.
Both leaders agreed to continue consultations, as well as employing the current international momentum opposing the US decision.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he acknowledged occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem.
Trump’s declaration received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries.
Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament called Monday for an emergency Arab summit to muster support for ending Israeli occupation of Palestine.
After an extraordinary session in Cairo to discuss ramifications of the US decision, the parliament said in a statement it has adopted a draft decision called ‘Al Quds, the Eternal Capital of Palestine’. This was in addition to other decisions pending to be passed, in the closing session, including holding an emergency Arab summit and bolstering the Palestinian people’s struggle to confront the brutal aggression they face in the Occupied Territories.
The parliament held Washington responsible for the repercussions of the decision on international peace and security.
