CAIRO (Sputnik) — The ministers added that the unresolved Palestinian crisis and the failure to observe the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people was the main cause of instability in the region.
"The foreign ministers have called on the international community to increase efforts to help creating a favorable environment and necessary conditions for beginning the negotiating process [between Palestine and Israel]," the joint statement, read out by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, said.
Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, along with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, building settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations. Direct talks between the two countries collapsed in 2014, when the latest armed conflict between Israel and Hamas took place.
