Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Sharm el-Sheikh. This is the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Egypt in a decade.
The meeting lasted three hours and the two leaders discussed regional, diplomatic, security and economic issues, a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
The two met in private and later a larger delegation joined. Among the officials of the Israeli delegation was Yaron Blum, the chief negotiator for the release of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip.
After the meeting, and before his departure for Jerusalem, Bennett said the meeting was good and important and laid “a foundation for a deep connection in the future, which will serve the interests of the two nations.”
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In the talks, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, el-Sissi cited Egypt’s efforts to maintain calm in the Palestinian territories and the importance of international support to rebuild efforts there. Bennett praised Egypt’s role in brokering the ceasefire following the May conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In this photo provided by the media cabinet of the Egyptian presidency, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, on the right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Red Sea station in Sharm el -Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, September 13, 2021. It is the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister since 2010, when then-President Hosni Mubarak hosted a summit with Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Media Office of the Egyptian Presidency through AP)
(Media Office of the Egyptian Presidency through AP)
While the meeting was taking place, a Palestinian assailant wounded two Israelis in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem. Police shot him dead and he was injured. The incident came hours after another attempted stabbing attack in the West Bank.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.