The daily Al Ahram highlighted the declarations of the permanent representative of Egypt to the United Nations, Osama Abdel-Khalek, who participated in a quarterly session of the Security Council on the situation in Palestine.

On the subject, the official expressed Cairo’s rejection of the systematic Israeli violations of the holy sites in Jerusalem, especially the Esplanade of the Mosques, because of the danger it represents for security and regional stability.

He also called for self-restraint and responsibility, as well as an end to Tel Aviv’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, where more than two million Palestinians live.

During a telephone conversation yesterday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed to his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, that maintaining the current state of that city has a direct impact on the easing of tensions.

According to a statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoukry called on Israel to return to the negotiating table with the Palestinians in order to seek a solution to the conflict.

The return to talks will be the path to the establishment of the Palestinian state and the achievement of stability and comprehensive peace for the peoples of the region, he stressed, according to the text.

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