Israeli prime minister in first official visit to Egypt in a decade
Talks focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanon
13 September 2021 - 19:43
byAidan Lewis
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Picture: YONATAN SINDEL/REUTERS
Cairo — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday for talks on Israeli-Palestinian relations and bilateral ties in the first official trip by an Israeli head of government to Egypt for a decade.
Bennett, the head of a far-right party who took office in June, was invited to visit by Sisi in August. Since May, Egypt has played a prominent role brokering and trying to reinforce a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after 11 days of conflict there between Israel and Palestinian faction Hamas, which controls the enclave.
Bennett said the talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh covered diplomacy, security and the economy. “We created a foundation for a deep connection going forward,” he said before flying home.
In the discussions, Sisi cited Egypt’s efforts to maintain calm in the Palestinian territories and the importance of international support for rebuilding efforts there, according to an Egyptian presidency statement.
An uptick in cross-border violence since late August has tested the fragile truce in Gaza. Over the past week, Palestinian militants have fired rockets into Israel for three nights in a row, drawing Israeli air strikes.
Sisi also “affirmed Egypt’s support for all efforts to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, according to the two-state solution”, the presidency statement said.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014 and analysts say there is little prospect of reviving them. Bennett, a nationalist atop a cross-partisan coalition, opposes Palestinian statehood. His government has focused on policies to improve economic conditions in the Palestinian territories.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 but relations have remained cool, restricted to security co-operation and limited economic links.
Blockade
Israel and Egypt hold Gaza under a blockade, citing threats from Hamas.
Cairo’s brokering of the Gaza truce allowed it to reassert its diplomatic role in the region in the wake of deals by four Arab states to normalise ties with Israel in 2020.
Bennett’s trip appeared to give transport links between Egypt and Israel a boost.
The Taba crossing between Israel and Sinai, an entry point for Israeli tourists, would become fully operational from Monday as restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic were lifted, Israel’s transport ministry said.
From October, Egyptair would begin operating several flights a week between Cairo and Tel Aviv, sources at the Egyptian national carrier said.
Bennett and Sisi had also been expected to discuss regional issues, including Iran’s influence in the Middle East and the crisis in Lebanon, diplomats and security sources said.
The last official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Egypt was when Benjamin Netanyahu met former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 in Sharm el-Sheikh, just before the uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Israeli prime minister in first official visit to Egypt in a decade
Talks focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanon
Cairo — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday for talks on Israeli-Palestinian relations and bilateral ties in the first official trip by an Israeli head of government to Egypt for a decade.
Bennett, the head of a far-right party who took office in June, was invited to visit by Sisi in August. Since May, Egypt has played a prominent role brokering and trying to reinforce a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after 11 days of conflict there between Israel and Palestinian faction Hamas, which controls the enclave.
Bennett said the talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh covered diplomacy, security and the economy. “We created a foundation for a deep connection going forward,” he said before flying home.
In the discussions, Sisi cited Egypt’s efforts to maintain calm in the Palestinian territories and the importance of international support for rebuilding efforts there, according to an Egyptian presidency statement.
An uptick in cross-border violence since late August has tested the fragile truce in Gaza. Over the past week, Palestinian militants have fired rockets into Israel for three nights in a row, drawing Israeli air strikes.
Sisi also “affirmed Egypt’s support for all efforts to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, according to the two-state solution”, the presidency statement said.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014 and analysts say there is little prospect of reviving them. Bennett, a nationalist atop a cross-partisan coalition, opposes Palestinian statehood. His government has focused on policies to improve economic conditions in the Palestinian territories.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 but relations have remained cool, restricted to security co-operation and limited economic links.
Blockade
Israel and Egypt hold Gaza under a blockade, citing threats from Hamas.
Cairo’s brokering of the Gaza truce allowed it to reassert its diplomatic role in the region in the wake of deals by four Arab states to normalise ties with Israel in 2020.
Bennett’s trip appeared to give transport links between Egypt and Israel a boost.
The Taba crossing between Israel and Sinai, an entry point for Israeli tourists, would become fully operational from Monday as restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic were lifted, Israel’s transport ministry said.
From October, Egyptair would begin operating several flights a week between Cairo and Tel Aviv, sources at the Egyptian national carrier said.
Bennett and Sisi had also been expected to discuss regional issues, including Iran’s influence in the Middle East and the crisis in Lebanon, diplomats and security sources said.
The last official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Egypt was when Benjamin Netanyahu met former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 in Sharm el-Sheikh, just before the uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Reuters
UAE eases visa restrictions and plans to grow trade with Asia, Africa
Israeli jets strike Lebanon after rocket attack
Israel to send about one-million Covid-19 doses to Palestinians
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.