Egypt committed to Palestine cause

Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi reaffirmed on Thursday his country's firm support to the fair cause of the Palestinian people and firm opposition to the Jewish settlement expansions in the occupied territories. "Egypt backs the international efforts aiming to help the Palestinian people and restore concord among the Palestinian brothers," he said. President Morsi made the comments during his meeting with Board Chairman of Al-Quds International Institution Hamid Al-Ahmar at the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis, east Cairo. The meeting reviewed the efforts of the institution aiming to preserve the cultural identity of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), according to a statement issued by the Presidential office tonight. Al-Ahmar handed the President a letter from the Institution on the risks posed by the hectic activities of the Israeli occupation authorities to blur the identity of the holy city including the new settlement expansion plan. Earlier this evening Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammad Kamel Amr blasted the Israeli plan to construct additional 300 settlement homes in East Jerusalem. "The move, together with the Jewish settlers' repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, undermine the efforts aiming to re-launch the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks," he said. "These are manifestations of Israel trifling with the will of the international community, the feelings of millions of Muslims across the world and the relevant international conventions," the minister affirmed. He cautioned that such moves are not only counterproductive to the two-state solution, but could push the entire situation in the occupied Palestinian territories to the brink of abyss as well.