Cairo, Dec 20 (IANS): The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Palestine met in Cairo and discussed methods of reviving the Middle East peace process and resuming negotiations between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The three Ministers on Saturday "stressed that the Palestinian cause is the central Arab issue and discussed ways to push the concerned parties to engage in the peace process" Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement following the tripartite meeting.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts Ayman Safadi and Riyad al-Maliki said that international legitimacy decisions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and the Arab Peace Initiative, represent authorised references for negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"Negotiation is the only way to bring peace," according to the joint statement.

The Ministers stressed the necessity of urging Israel to return to the negotiation table in order to reach a settlement based on the UN-proposed two-state solution, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also agreed on intensifying efforts to "mobilise an international position to confront the illegal Israeli practices", including the construction of settlements and the demolishing of Palestinian homes, warning that such practices "violate the international law and undermine the two-state solution and the chances of reaching just and comprehensive peace".

Shoukry, Safadi and Maliki also warned of the financial crisis facing the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its repercussions on the agency's ability to provide its vital services to the Palestinian refugees.

Egypt and Jordan already have peace treaties with Israel, which has recently managed to sign peace and normalisation agreements with other Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.