Egypt has begun mediation talks between Israel and the Palestinians to try to calm recent deadly clashes in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, country officials said. The country also wants to prevent tensions from spreading to the Gaza Strip in the run-up to Ramadan, which starts in March.
This week, Cairo received leaders from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and from its smaller ally Islamic Jihad. Previously, talks with Israeli representatives took place.
Tensions have risen in recent weeks after an Israeli raid that left nine Palestinians dead. Since a new far-right government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in Israel late last year, 36 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. Six Israelis were also killed in an attack on a synagogue in East Jerusalem. Last year, 235 people died, with nearly 90 percent of the casualties on the Palestinian side.
Egypt says it fears that the violence will escalate further, particularly because of the dissatisfaction on the Palestinian side over Israel’s control over the holy city of Jerusalem during Ramadan. The month of fasting will take place from March 23 to April 20 this year.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk recently said that the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new Israeli government “can only lead to more violence and bloodshed.”
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