Compass – Muhammad Saad

A few hours after the announcement of the conclusion of the security summit in Aqaba between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation, settlers launched a campaign of frenzied and brutal attacks against Palestinian property in the town of Hawara, south of Nablus governorate, amid statements by the Israeli government officials.

And the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the death of Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash (37 years old), who succumbed to severe wounds, which he sustained with live bullets in the abdomen, as a result of the occupation forces and settlers attacking the town of Za’tara in Nablus.

Simultaneously, the Israeli extremist national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, said in his first comment on the Aqaba security meeting, that “what happened in Jordan will remain in Jordan.”

Yesterday, Sunday, the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority agreed at the Aqaba security meeting, in the presence of representatives of the United States, Jordan and Egypt, to stop unilateral measures for specific months and reduce escalation.

Ben Gvir, the leader of the far-right “Jewish Power” party, did not clarify the purpose of his statements, but suspending the construction of settlement units in the West Bank and stopping the approval of settlement outposts contradicts his intense demands and pressure on the Israeli government to expand settlement.

In the biggest blow to the announcement of the Aqaba meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the continuation of settlement construction and the legalization of outposts.

Netanyahu said in a brief statement this evening that “contrary to the tweets, the construction and legalization of outposts in the West Bank will continue according to the planning and construction schedule, without any change, and there will be no freeze.”

The statement of the Aqaba meeting, which kicked off Sunday morning in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, stated that “the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority affirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediate action to stop unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months.”

The statement indicated that stopping unilateral measures includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussing the establishment of any new settlement units for a period of 4 months, and to stop approving any new settlement outposts for a period of 6 months.

Al-Bawsala monitored some of the opinions and comments of activists and observers on the results of the Aqaba meeting:

The former Minister of Information, Taher Al-Adwan, considered that “it is a mistake, under any names, to hold the Aqaba Conference with Netanyahu’s representatives, even if the justification was to stop the massacres in Nablus and Jenin, as this will not stop because the goal of Netanyahu – Javier, on which their government was based, is massacres, settlements, the Judaization of Al-Aqsa, and all that leads to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.” And put the future of Jordan in the mouth of the Zionist ogre.”

In his tweet again, Al-Adwan called on the media and free websites to publish Netanyahu’s interview with Canadian Jordan Peterson, which was posted on YouTube on his famous website, to inform every Arab about who the man is, his plans, and the disadvantages and dangers of normalization. Netanyahu claims that the Arabs rushed for normalization after his challenge to Obama in Congress in 2015 because they are They admired his strength

Journalist Helmy Al-Asmar commented on his Twitter account, saying, “The first outcome of the Aqaba meeting was the ignition of the Palestinian West Bank. .. And raising the level of “violence” (i.e. the terrorism of the Zionist killers) to an unprecedented degree in Nablus, Hawara and Burin, some “wise” Zionists say that the occupying entity entered the pre-state stage.

At the end of the meeting, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan issued a statement clarifying the details of what was agreed upon.

The following is the text of the statement issued by the Aqaba meeting

At the invitation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, senior Jordanian, Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian and American officials met in Aqaba, Jordan, today, February 26, 2023.

After comprehensive and frank discussions, the participants announced that the Palestinian and Israeli sides were sure of their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work to achieve a just and lasting peace.

They reaffirmed the need to commit to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further “violence.”

The five parties also stressed the importance of preserving the historical status quo in the holy places in Jerusalem in word and deed without change, and stressed in this regard the Hashemite tutelage / the special Jordanian role.

The Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority affirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediate action to stop unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussing the establishment of any new settlement units for a period of 4 months, and to stop approving any new settlement outposts for a period of 6 months.

The five parties agreed to meet again in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh in the Arab Republic of Egypt next March to achieve the above-mentioned goals.

The participants also agreed to support confidence-building steps and enhance mutual trust between the two parties in order to address outstanding issues through direct dialogue.

The Palestinian and Israeli sides will work in good faith to shoulder their responsibilities in this regard.

Jordan, Egypt and the United States consider these understandings as positive progress towards reactivating and deepening relations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and are committed to helping facilitate their implementation as needed.

The participants stressed the importance of the Aqaba meeting, which is the first of its kind in years. They agreed to continue the meetings according to this formula, to maintain the positive momentum, and to build on what was agreed upon in terms of reaching a more comprehensive political process leading to the achievement of a just and lasting peace.

Participants thanked Jordan for organizing and hosting this meeting and for its efforts to ensure positive results. They also thanked Egypt for its support, essential role and active participation. They also thanked the United States for its important role in efforts to reach understandings that led to this agreement today, stressing its indispensable role in efforts to prevent deterioration and find prospects for peace.