Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to discuss efforts for achieving a two-state solution during a three-day visit to Cairo. Abbas will meet with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and attend the Arab League's Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Sunday, a Palestinian official said. It is expected that the ministers will hold a special session to address the issues and developments in Palestine, including the reconstruction of Gaza and efforts to achieve a lasting truce with Israel. Abbas' visit comes on the back of the latest round of militarised aggression between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza strip, for which an open-ended ceasefire agreement was reached on 27 August. As part of the deal brokered by Egypt the sides are to embark upon indirect-talks within a month of the start of the ceasefire. Just two-days before the ceasefire agreement was reached Abbas announced his intention to go to the United Nations and request a deadline for the implementation of the 1967 borders, which is widely accepted as the basis for a two-state solution. Last week Israel approved the appropriation of approximately 1,000 acres of land in the West Bank, a move that Egypt described as "not positive", pointing out that it could damage the peace process. Palestine's chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and economic and political advisers will accompany Abbas during his stay in Cairo. The Palestinian official stressed that the achievement of a two-state solution is a major part of the overall "Palestinian strategy". He also said that an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza will also be on Abbas' agenda and that the event, to be co-hosted by Egypt and Norway, could be held in October. The latest conflict has inflicted a large amount of structural damage in the densely populated Gaza Strip. The United Nations Office for Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday that due the damage and low pressure at least 450,000 people in Gaza are unable to access municipal water. 18,000 housing units were destroyed or severely damaged during the conflict leaving an estimated 108,000 people homeless, reported the UN agency.
