Israeli delegation at Sharm el-Sheikh stressed need to ‘act decisively against terror’

A senior Israeli official says that the Israeli delegation at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt today stressed to participants the need for Israel to act strongly against terror.

According to a statement from the Israeli side, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar — who were present at the meeting — stressed the need “to act decisively against terrorism without compromise” in order to prevent a further spike in violence over Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Thursday.

The meeting of Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian officials — held a few weeks after the same group convened in Aqaba — was aimed at calming a spike in violence ahead of the confluence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter in the coming weeks.

The Israeli statement does not address a renewed promise in the joint communiqué to halt discussions of new settlement homes or legalized outposts for four to six months — something which was denied last time by Jerusalem. It instead only vaguely mentions “possible agreements on the cessation of reciprocal unilateral measures.”