Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi discussed Jerusalem on Sunday April 24 with King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, at a time when the international community fears a new conflagration in the Holy City.
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Read alsoRixes in East Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians
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Israel: new clashes at the Esplanade of the Mosques of Jerusalem
The violence that erupted in mid-April on the esplanade of the Mosques in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian sector occupied by Israel, raise fears of a new escalation, a year after an 11-day war between the Jewish state and Hamas, armed Islamist movement in power in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
The three Arab leaders pleaded to "
continue efforts to restore calm to Jerusalem and preserve the legal and historical status quo
", reported Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi's spokesman, Bassam Radi.
"Temple Mount"
The status quo in place means that Muslims can pray on the esplanade of the Mosques - the third holiest place in Islam and the holiest place in Judaism - but not the faithful of other religions.
Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, Abdallah II and Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who met in Cairo for a meal to break the Ramadan fast, are primarily concerned by developments in Jerusalem.
Jordan, linked to Israel by a peace treaty since 1994, administers the esplanade of the Mosques, even if access to this place - which the Jews call "
Temple Mount
" - is controlled by the Jewish state.
As for Egypt, a regional heavyweight, it had activated behind the scenes to promote the ceasefire which had ended 11 days of war in Gaza in May 2021.
Read alsoCan we get out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
An Israeli and a Palestinian debate
The United Arab Emirates, oil monarchy of the Gulf, have normalized their relations with the Jewish state in 2020 within the framework of the so-called Abraham agreements signed under the aegis of Washington.
Like Amman, however, Abu Dhabi recently summoned the Israeli ambassador to tell him that he blamed the Jewish state for the new escalation of violence.
On Sunday, the three leaders again called on Israel to “
stop measures that undermine the two-state solution
” (Israeli and Palestinian, editor’s note) and to “
return to serious negotiations to settle the Palestinian question
”.
