Israeli prime minister meets Egypt’s Al Sissi in first official trip in decade
LEADERS DISCUSS REVIVING PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Egypt yesterday for talks with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi in the Red Sea resort of Sharm Al Sheikh.
It was the first official visit by an Israeli premier since 2010, when then-President Hosni Mubarak hosted a summit with Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Bennett and Al Sissi discussed bilateral relations, reviving the Israel-Palestinian peace process and other regional and international developments, according to a statement issued by the Egypt president’s office.
It said that Al Sissi stressed his support for “all efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace based on a twostate solution”.
Bennett, in a statement following the meeting, thanked Al Sissi for Egypt’s role in preserving the security and stability in the Gaza Strip and its help with Israeli missing and captives from the conflict. He also said the longstanding relationship between Egypt and Israel was a foundation for Israel’s recent accords with other Arab nations.
Egypt in 1979 was the first Arab country to reach a peace agreement with Israel. The meeting was a boost for Bennett, who took office in June and is still trying to establish his foreign-policy credentials.
His predecessor, Netanyahu, billed himself as a global statesman but never was able to hold a public meeting with the Egyptian president.
Israel has maintained a tight blockade over Gaza since Hamas overran the territory in 2007 in an effort to prevent it from importing weapons. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars, most recently in May. In recent weeks, Hamas has staged a number of violent demonstrations along the Israeli border and launched dozens of incendiary balloons across the frontier.
Earlier this month, Al Sissi held talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Abbas in Cairo where they stressed the need to revive the two-state solution. They said the Palestinians have a right to an independent state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, a plan that Israel opposes.