The Compass – The so-called head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, who headed the Israeli delegation to the Aqaba meeting, yesterday, Sunday, denied what was stated in the Jordanian Foreign Ministry’s statement, published by the news agency /Petra/ about the outcomes of the Aqaba meeting.

Hanegbi affirmed, according to the “Israel Hayom” website, today, Monday, that “there is no change in Israel’s policy.” He added, “In the coming months, the State of Israel will legalize 9 settlement outposts and approve 9,500 new housing units (for settlers) in the West Bank.” Occupied.. There is no construction freeze or any change to the status quo in Al-Aqsa, nor any restrictions on the army’s activity.”

The newspaper’s website quoted a high-ranking political official as saying: “No restrictions will be imposed on the Israeli army’s incursions into Palestinian cities in the West Bank,” explaining that “the army will enter every place where intelligence information is available about the presence of (resistors) there.”

The site also revealed that the Israeli willingness to participate in the Aqaba meeting in Jordan, and to form a forum that examines the ability of the Palestinian Authority to “combat terrorism”, came as a result of a position put forward by the Israeli General Security Agency, the Shin Bet.

The site indicated that the Israeli “Shin Bet” service, a long time ago, expressed to the official political level its belief and assessments that it is necessary to “examine the ability of the Palestinian Authority to thwart operations, in light of the decline in its control on the ground, which has been going on for more than a year.”

joint security committee
In addition, the Yedioth Ahronoth website quoted a high-ranking Israeli official as saying, “The participants reached an agreement to form a joint security committee that will examine the resumption of security coordination, and the willingness and extent of the Palestinian Authority’s ability to assume responsibility for combating terrorism in the areas of the Palestinian Authority.” claim it.

The official, whose identity the site did not disclose, added that “the participants agreed to hold an additional meeting before the month of Ramadan, under the auspices of Egypt, in order to examine the extent of progress made on the security axis. It was also agreed to form a joint civil committee that will be active to take economic steps that build confidence.

Reject all requests from the Palestinian side
On the other hand, the website quoted Israeli officials as saying that the Palestinian side submitted several requests, but they were all rejected.

The Yedioth Ahronoth website indicated that a Palestinian source familiar with what happened in the Aqaba meeting said, “During the conference, the Palestinian side offered to stop the occupation forces’ incursion into Areas A and the rest of the Palestinian Authority’s areas (i.e. the occupied West Bank) in exchange for a Palestinian commitment to The Palestinian security services are active on the ground in these areas, and in coordination with Israel.

The Palestinians also demanded that the “Palestinian Authority be allowed to introduce new weapons and means of combat to the members of the Palestinian apparatus.”

The participants in the Aqaba meeting also discussed the demand of the Palestinian side to stop the “Israeli sanctions” on the Palestinian Authority (referring to the occupation’s withholding of the Palestinian clearing funds), and they dealt with the issue of “stopping construction in settlements in the West Bank until the end of the month of Ramadan only.”

The Aqaba meeting, which was held in southern Jordan, on Sunday morning, concluded with “announcing the agreement of the Palestinian and Israeli sides to stop unilateral measures for specific months,” according to the meeting’s final statement.

The Aqaba meeting is the first announced meeting between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation, since settlement negotiations stalled in 2014.

The Palestinian territories are witnessing escalating tension, which since the beginning of the year resulted in the death of 63 Palestinians by Israeli bullets in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, including 11 during the storming of the city of Nablus (north), on Wednesday.

Quds Press