Egypt hosted Sunday Israeli and Palestinian officials in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in a US and Jordanian backed effort to calm a surge of violence in Judea and Samaria ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
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The five-way meeting follows a Feb. 26 US-brokered summit in Jordan, the first of its kind in years, that secured Israeli and Palestinian pledges to de-escalate but was challenged by factions on both sides and failed to halt violence on the ground.
The meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh "aims to support dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to work to stop unilateral actions and escalation, and break the existing cycle of violence and achieve calm", a statement from Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.
This could "facilitate the creation of a climate suitable for the resumption of the peace process", it added.
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan starts in late March. In previous years, clashes have erupted between Israeli police and Palestinian rioters around Jerusalem's Al Aqsa compound at the height of Ramadan, which coincides this year with the Jewish holidays of Passover and Christian celebration of Easter.
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