Palestinians and Israelis pledge to de-escalate ahead of Ramadan

CAIRO, 19 March. (DPA/EP) –

Representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government have met this Sunday in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, and have announced a commitment to reduce tension and violence with a view to the start next Wednesday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish Passover.

The parties have agreed to establish “a mechanism to reduce and counteract violence, provocations and inflammatory statements and actions,” according to the statement published after the meeting by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The result will be verified in a new meeting that will be held next month also in Sharm el Sheikh, also with representatives of the United States, Egypt and Jordan. The current format was inaugurated on February 26 at a meeting held in Aqaba, Jordan.

At the last meeting in Egypt, the parties reiterated what they had already promised in Aqaba: suspension of the approval of new settlements for four months and rejection of the authorization of new outposts for six months.

The parties “have reiterated their commitment to uphold the historic status of the holy sites of Jerusalem both in word and in practice.”

Since the beginning of the year, 85 Palestinians, 13 Israelis and a Ukrainian woman have died due to the spiral of violence. It is common for an increase in the actions of Palestinian armed groups to coincide with Ramadan.