How was the historic meeting between Naftali Bennett and the President of Egypt

The President of Egypt, Abdelfatah al Sisi, has received the Israeli Prime Minister today, Naftali Bennett, In the coastal city of Sharm al-Sheikh, where they addressed issues such as bilateral relations and the Palestinian cause, on the first visit by an Israeli head of government to an Arab country in more than a decade.

According to a statement from the Egyptian Presidency, during this meeting it addressed “the evolution of bilateral relations in various fields,” as well as “the latest developments at the regional and international level, especially those related to the Palestinian cause.”

Al-Sisi conveyed to Bennett “the importance of the international community’s support for Egypt’s efforts to rebuild the Palestinian territories,” as well as “maintaining calm between the Palestinian and Israeli parties.”, According to the note.

For its part, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister has reported in a statement that Bennett “emphasized the significant role that Egypt plays in maintaining security stability in the Gaza Strip and in finding a solution to the issue of prisoners and missing persons.”

Egypt intervened to secure a truce between Israel and the Hamas terrorist movement and has held talks with their respective delegations to agree on a prisoner exchange, in addition to providing millions of dollars for the reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave.

Bennett, who took office in June, was invited to Egypt for Al Sisi last month. but so far his visit had no date and has been kept secret to this day.

January 6, 2011 was the last time an Israeli prime minister visited the land of the pharaohs, and Benjamin Netanyahu then met with Hosni Mubarak, a few weeks before the Egyptian leader was deposed.

Egypt has hosted several summits and meetings on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and is the main mediator between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas, Which governs the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt and a focus of tension for both the Egyptian and Israeli governments.

Sunday, when he proposed “improve“The living conditions of Gazans in exchange for a commitment to”calm“On the part of Hamas, the head of Israeli diplomacy, Yair Lapid, He remembered again “The Vital Importance of Egypt.”

This project, he stressed, “It will not see the light of day without the support and involvement of Egyptian partners and their ability to talk to all parties involved.”

According to Nael Shama, an Egyptian foreign policy specialist, Bennett’s visit is an “important step given the development of economic and security relations” between the two countries and their “common concern” over Gaza, and also for the Egyptian project of “reactivating political talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority “

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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