Egypt looking to quell Israeli-Palestinian escalation
Cairo is worried violence could spiral in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and spread to Gaza given Palestinian sensitivities about Israeli security during Ramadan
Egypt is stepping up mediation efforts between Israel and Palestinians in a bid to quell violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and prevent it from spreading to Gaza ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
This week, Cairo hosted leaders from Gaza’s Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, according to officials. Talks with Israeli representatives were held earlier, they said.
West Bank violence surged last year as Israel intensified military raids following a spate of Palestinian terror attacks in Israeli cities, and has picked up pace since the Jewish state’s right-wing government was sworn in at the end of 2022.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Egyptian officials told Reuters that Cairo was worried the situation could further spiral out of control, especially given Palestinian sensitivities about Israeli control of access to Jerusalem during Ramadan, which begins in late March.
The Muslim faith’s holiest month is a time of prayer and reflection. But in Israel, the holiday season also comes with violence, as Israeli-Palestinian tensions tend to peak. In 2021, rioting in mixed Arab-Israeli cities and rockets between Israel and Hamas plagued the holy month, and last year, a wave of unanticipated Palestinian terror attacks left 11 civilians dead within a week.
"More than ever, the Egyptians are worried of a possible new armed confrontation in 2023 because they realize it would be hard to restrain actions by some ministers of the new extremist government in Israel," a Palestinian official said. "Egypt understands that if things blow up in the West Bank it will ignite an explosion in Gaza too."
PIJ spokesman Daoud Shehab said the group told Egypt that "no one can restrain" themselves if "Israeli provocations… continue during Ramadan."