Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the Aqaba Summit that the White House convened today in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, attended by representatives of the governments of Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt, and the United States.

APN is encouraged by the language of the communique that the participants issued following their meeting.

The communique states that the Israeli and Palestinian governments “affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace” and that “they reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence.” It also states that both sides “confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months” including settlement activity and authorization of illegal outposts in the West Bank.

Commenting on the Aqaba understandings, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the meeting was a “starting point” and that going forward, “Implementation will be critical.” He added that “the United States will continue to remain actively engaged in this format with all parties over the coming weeks.”

APN believes that given current dynamics, US implementation and engagement must be proactive and involve enforcement. The Biden administration must shift from words to actions, from communiques to consequences for violations of the language or spirit of the Aqaba understandings.