Egypt's President Sisi receives Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to discuss the repercussions of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Ambassador Bassam Radi, the spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, said that a lengthy session of talks was held between the delegations of the two countries to review the latest developments.

Egypt asserted keeping the historical and legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of the relevant international references and resolutions, while continuing to support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Palestinian president detailed the efforts to resume the peace process, pointing out that the recent US decision came as a surprise despite all the flexibility and willingness shown by the Palestinian Authority to reach a solution where East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine according to the borders agreed upon in June 4, 1967.

Trump's decision upended decades of US foreign policy and went against an international consensus that Jerusalem's status should be decided in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Abbas has said Trump's decision has in effect disqualified the US from continuing in its role as the traditional mediator of peace talks.

The move ignited protests in several Arab and Muslim nations, including Egypt, where the country's leading Muslim and Christian clerics have refused to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence on his upcoming visit to the region.

(With AP)

السيسي وعباس 1