Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo for talks with Egypt, Jordan leaders

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Monday for talks with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan, amid alarm at Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Abbas will meet with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday to "participate in a tripartite summit meeting", the Palestinian Authority's news agency WAFA reported.

The meeting will deal partly with Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, WAFA quoted Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh as saying.

Just weeks in office, Israel's extreme-right government has already promised to aid the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and to financially suffocate the Palestinian Authority that controls the territory. There are fears in Jordan and in the PA that Israeli violence could spark major Palestinian unrest in the occupied West Bank.

The three leaders last met in Cairo in September 2021, but meetings between top-level officials from the three countries have occurred since.

Both Egypt and Jordan have had formal ties with Israel for decades, but condemned extreme-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's intrusion at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem that took place earlier this month.

Jordan is the official custodian of the Al-Aqsa compound - one of the holiest sites in Islam - and other holy sites in Jerusalem.

Last year was among the deadliest in the West Bank since 2005, with more than 150 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territory.

The bloodshed shows no sign of relenting in 2023, with more than a dozen Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in just the first fortnight of the year.