At the end of the conference with Israel, a satisfied Palestinian official said the peace process was "revived".

Kết thúc hội nghị với Israel, quan chức Palestine hài lòng nói tiến trình hòa bình 'được hồi sinh'. (Nguồn: Jerusalem Post)

The PLO Secretary General said that recent peace conferences have shown that Palestinians can cooperate with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Source: Jerusalem Post)

Mr. al-Sheikh was the head of the Palestinian delegation attending the Sharm El-Sheikh security conference on March 19 in Egypt.

According to him, both the recent conference and the first conference in the Jordanian city of Aqaba on February 26 showed that Palestinians can cooperate with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The diplomat said Israel had agreed to take a series of measures to ease the situation, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on March 22.

Israel also agreed to suspend military operations deep into Palestinian territory in the West Bank and not arrest Palestinian suspects unless there is clear evidence they are ready to attack the Jewish state immediately.

In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu's government will also stop discussing plans to build and expand settlements, and return tax revenues on behalf of Palestinians that have been forcibly withheld by Israel since 2022.

According to Mr. al-Sheikh, the conference participants "thoroughly discussed ways to reduce tensions on the ground and create conditions for a peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians."

However, the official admitted that the two sides still had many unresolved issues within the framework of the conference. Meanwhile, Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions continued to criticize the Palestinian Authority for participating in the conference.

The Sharm El Sheikh conference on March 19 brought together senior political and security officials representing Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and the United States.

According to the joint statement, the parties agreed on eight points, the first of which was de-escalation and building trust between Palestine and Israel. In addition, the governments of the two countries “reaffirmed their commitment to take immediate action to end unilateral measures within a period of 3-6 months.”

Palestine and Israel reaffirm their firm commitment to all previous agreements between them, in particular the legitimate right of the Palestinian Authority to exercise security responsibilities in Area A of the West Bank, in accordance with existing agreements. The two sides will work together to achieve this goal.

The two countries also agreed to “address thorny issues through direct dialogue” and “establish a mechanism to restrain and counter violence and statements that incite violence,” which will be reported to the leaders of the Five Group — Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and the United States — at another meeting in April 2023.

The parties to the Sharm El Sheikh conference agreed to develop a mechanism to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian people as well as the financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, and agreed to “maintain the historical status of the holy sites in Jerusalem”.