Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed, on Monday, his country's support for Palestine and the rights of its people, whilst rejecting Israel's planned annexation of Palestinian territories. Shoukry's remarks came at a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the former's visit to the Palestinian city of Ramallah. The Egyptian Foreign Minister had arrived in the Palestinian territories following a short visit to Jordan on Sunday, for discussions with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi. Shoukry asserted Egypt's unchangeable stance of support for the Palestinian right to self-determination and establishing an independent and sovereign state based on the 1967 borders. Under these terms, East Jerusalem would become the Palestinian capital. He also rejected any unilateral decisions, including the Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank. During his visit to Ramallah, Shoukry conveyed the greetings of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to Abbas. The meeting saw discussions on the steps and methods available to resume Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts based on the two-state solution and the Arab peace initiative. This move would preserve the rights of the Palestinian people and work to settle the long-term conflict between the two sides. Abbas expressed his appreciation of Al-Sisi's support, and the sincere efforts of Egypt's leadership in defending the Palestinian Cause and restoring legitimate Palestinian rights. Israel has been considering a controversial annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, as part of an annexation plan within the US-led Israeli-Palestinian peace. The annexation plan has been rejected by the Palestinian Authority, various European countries, and the Arab League.
