Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Sunday 4/3/2007 expressed Egypt's serious concern over the escalation in the Palestinian territories and resentment over the continued Israeli practices in the West Bank town of Nablus against Palestinians.

In statements to the press, he condemned the continued Israeli incursions into Nablus and clashes with Palestinians, which resulted in the injury of two of them.

Egypt rejects the activities of Israeli occupation troops that will only lead to more tension in the Palestinian lands and poison the climate needed to achieve peace, especially now as Palestinians are trying to form a national unity government, he said.

He repeated Egypt's full support for the Palestinian cause, especially at this difficult time as Palestinians were seeking unity.

He called on Palestinians to maintain their efforts towards national reconciliation and return to the negotiating table to achieve peace.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has dispatched two of his senior aides to Washington to convince the United States of maintaining boycott of Hamas Movement.

An Israeli official, who declined to be identified said the visit aims at preparing for a new meeting between Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and getting assurances from the United States that the United States would not negotiate with minsters from Hamas Movement

On the other hand, said Ahmed Abul-Gheit that his ministry was now contacting a number of Islamic and Arab countries with the aim of lobbying for a UN resolution criminalising contempt of religions.

Within this context, Abul-Gheit said, Egypt will propose an initiative during the coming ministerial meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, to be held in Islamabad in May.

The new move aims at dealing with the issue of disdain of religions from a perspective differentiating between the freedom of opinion and the freedom of expression, Abul-Gheit said.

He clarified that freedom of expression should not in any way involve disrespect for the creeds of others.