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Jordan to host Israeli-Palestinian ‘political security’ talks as violence spirals
- The meeting to be held on Sunday in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba will also be attended by US and Egyptian representatives
- The talks come after 11 Palestinians were killed in a gun battle on Wednesday when Israeli troops raided the West Bank city of Nablus
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Jordan is to host a “political-security” meeting between Israel and the Palestinians on Sunday to try to restore calm in the occupied territories after deadly violence, a government official said.
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The meeting to be held in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba will also be attended by United States and Egyptian representatives.
It aims at “building trust” between Israel and the Palestinians, the official told Agence France-Presse on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency, Ronen Bar, will be part of the Israeli delegation, a security source told Agence France-Presse.
As the talks come after 11 Palestinians were killed in a gun battle on Wednesday when Israeli troops raided the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian leadership’s decision to attend the Jordan meeting drew criticism from other factions.
The ruling Fatah movement of president Mahmoud Abbas defended the move on Twitter.
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“The decision to take part in the Aqaba meeting despite the pain and massacres being endured by the Palestinian people comes from a desire to bring an end to the bloodshed,” the movement said.
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