Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Saturday stressed Egypt's continuous support for Palestine. Shoukry made the remarks in a meeting with Fadwa el Barghouthi, the wife of Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouthi. Egypt and Palestine are coordinating efforts to draw up the next action plans in the fight for the rights of the Palestinian people, the minister said. The status of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons were discussed in the meeting, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. In statements after the meeting, Mrs Barghouthi stressed that Egypt has always supported the Palestinian cause. Marwan Barghouthi was arrested in 2002 – during the second Intifada – and was later convicted by an Israeli court on five counts of murder. Barghouthi had previously been imprisoned in 1978 for more than four years for being a member of Fatah – something Israel considered a crime back then.
