New moves by Saudi Arabia, Qatar signal drive for cease-fire
Regional capitals are seeing intense diplomatic activity, while regional powers and Washington agree on the need to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.
While the Israeli army’s military operations against Gaza enter their third week, a diplomatic flurry is taking place in attempts to reach a cease-fire.
The most recent of these efforts was announced by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on July 22 during a speech in Ramallah, in which he announced his visit to Egypt and the holding of talks among Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Abbas also traveled to Turkey and Qatar, where he met with the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, in an attempt to reach a cease-fire.
Afterward, the PA held an urgent meeting in Ramallah on July 23 and issued a solidarity statement with Gaza, denouncing the “crimes” of the Israeli army, and affirming that efforts aiming to reach a cease-fire were ongoing.
A prominent official at the presidency headquarters in Ramallah told Al-Monitor, “Abbas suddenly ended his visit to Saudi Arabia and came back to Ramallah on July 22. In the past hours, he intensified calls with the region’s leaders to conclude a cease-fire in Gaza based on the Egyptian initiative, while adding some amendments with the consent of all parties.”
