Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to visit Cairo, but Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has one condition: Netanyahu must make a positive statement on the Palestinian issue, such as re-engaging with the two-state solution, Israeli sources tell me.
Why it’s important: The Egyptians are worried that they are well on their way to starting the painful administration of Biden. They want to reinvigorate their role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to send a positive sign to the White House and increase their relevance as a partner in Biden.
Between lines: “Sisi doesn’t care so much about the Palestinian issue, but he knows that Netanyahu is looking for a photo operation for his election campaign and is trying to get diplomatic success for Egypt,” a source familiar with the discussions told me. .
Leading the news: The potential visit has been under debate for several months as the Abraham Accords met and the political transition in the US began.
- Netanyahu last paid an official visit to Egypt a decade ago, when Hosni Mubarak was still in power. Even then the visit was to Sharm al-Sheikh and not to Cairo.
- Since then, Netanyahu has secretly visited Egypt several times.
Behind the scenes: The visit almost took place about a month ago, but the Egyptians had a second thought after calling early elections in Israel, two Israeli sources tell me.
- The trip was postponed and, when talks resumed, the Egyptians requested a gesture of goodwill on the Palestinian issue in the context of the visit.
- The Egyptians specifically raised the idea of Netanyahu making a declaration of commitment to the two-state solution, Israeli sources said.
- Netanyahu had reservations about this proposal during an election campaign in which he tries to mobilize his right-wing base.
The state of play: The visit is now suspended, but Israeli sources say efforts are being made to find a compromise.
- The issue was raised again when Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Jerusalem last week to hold talks with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.
- It is necessary to emphasize: Sources close to Netanyahu denied knowledge of any conditions for the visit and denied that the matter had been raised during Kamel’s meeting with the prime minister.
What to see: Biden criticized Egypt during the election campaign for its human rights violations, and Egyptians fear that their close ties to the Trump administration will not continue with Biden.
- Highlighting the Egyptian role of mediator between Israel and the Palestinians could help Cairo build a positive agenda with the new administration, and these efforts are already underway.