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JERUSALEM (CC) - The "Jerusalem Post" reports that an anonymous Palestinian Authority official told the publication that the "peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has effectively been revived through the two summits."
The first of the two summits that the source referred to took place in Aqaba, Jordan on February 26. The second one happened last Sunday in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt with delegations from Israel, Palestine, the United States, Jordan and Egypt in attendance at both summits.
The PA source was further quoted by the Post as saying that the recent summits "show that the Palestinians can work with the government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu."
The Israeli government that preceded Netanyahu's new and latest administration refused to negotiate with the PA, except for matters of security, according to the report.
Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheik said the recent summits showed "progress in some issues and tracks, and there are still some disputed files."
A press release after Sunday's summit declared that the delegations "held thorough discussions on ways and means to de-escalate tensions on the ground between Palestinians and Israelis in order to pave a way forward towards a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians."
The release further said that the meetings "Reaffirmed their commitment to advancing security, stability and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike, and recognized the necessity of de-escalation on the ground, the prevention of further violence, as well as pursuing confidence-building measures, enhancing mutual trust, creating a political horizon, and addressing outstanding issues through direct dialogue."
Hard line Palestinian resisted the summits.
"The will of the Palestinian people is clear: to resist the occupation and expel it from the land of Palestine," said Mahmoud Mardawi who is a high-ranking official with Hamas - a Palestinian nationalist organization with a military wing based in Israel's Gaza Strip enclave.
"The meetings in Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheik aim to prevent the Palestinians from confronting the occupation; they also aim to eliminate the Palestinian resistance," Mardawi continued.
A similar theme was expressed by Mohammed al-Hindi, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction. Attacks on Israel "will continue, with and without Ramadan, in response to the crimes of the enemy and threats to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, " he declared
Ramadan began on March 22 and will continue for about one month.
Monir al-Jaghoub, who is with the Palestinian Fatah organization countered criticisms from Hamas and other Palestinians by saying they are "talking about rejection, not solutions or stopping the bloodletting in the West bank."
The West Bank in Israel is also sometimes referred to as Judea Samaria.
The latest reports on the international community's peace efforts to solve the Arab-Israel conflict come in the wake of the American delegation watching as China recently announced Beijing's brokering of a rapprochement between arch rivals the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The next two months will determine the success level of China's brokering of the Saudi-Iran detente - the time span Riyadh and Tehran set for their normalization to be officially stamped.
No word on whether or not the rise of Beijing as a major force in the international peace community catalyzed the United States to try its best to finally seal the deal on the Israeli-Palestinian detente.
Christians worldwide are watching for the results of the summits for clearer interpretations of Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophesy that many faithful believe gives a prophetic timeline for the return of Jesus Christ.
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