Shoukry also made a phone call to Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Riad al-Maliki to discuss the Palestinian cause. In meeting with Maliki and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in December, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assured that the Palestinian issue was a constant priority for Egypt. The upcoming conference comes as Israel has normalized ties with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco. Moreover, Israel continues to build illegal settlements in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, a move that was condemned in December by Shoukry. Peace Now, an Israeli group that surveils settlement activity, reported settlement construction in 2020 to be at its highest since 2012.

Source: Egypt Independent January 07, 2021 12:41 UTC