For the first time in ten years: Israel’s head of government visits Egypt


Status: 13.09.2021 7:36 p.m.

Naftali Bennett was the first Israeli head of government to visit Egypt since 2011. The meeting with President al-Sisi was about reviving the peace process with the Palestinians.

By Jürgen Stryjak, ARD-Studio Cairo

In the afternoon, Naftali Bennett arrived in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea. It was the first time in more than ten years that an Israeli prime minister officially visited Egypt. The talks between Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are said to have focused primarily on reviving the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Egypt as a mediator between Israel and Hamas

In May, Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. This ceasefire ended military attacks on both sides, which had lasted 11 days. It didn’t last, however. Militant Palestinians from the Gaza Strip launched incendiary balloons that caused bushfires on Israeli territory in the past few weeks, and most recently fired rockets at Israel for several days. The Israeli military fired at targets in the Gaza Strip.

According to media reports, the Egyptian government also wants to mediate in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on an exchange of prisoners.

Al-Sisi had invited Bennett in August. The talks in Sharm El Sheikh are also said to have dealt with Iran’s influence in the region and the crisis in Lebanon.

Security and Economic Cooperation

Relations between Israel and Egypt are close on a pragmatic level – especially when it comes to security and the economy. In recent years, the Israeli military has attacked positions of IS terrorists in northern Sinai, on Egyptian territory, with the consent of Cairo. Fighter jets, helicopters and drones were used.

Israel also granted Egypt greater freedom to fight terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. Contracts there actually limit the Egyptian military’s room for maneuver.

According to a contract that has a term of 15 years, Egypt began importing Israeli natural gas in January 2020.

Israel’s Prime Minister Bennett visits President al-Sisi in Egypt

Jürgen Stryjak, ARD Cairo, 9/13/2021 7:03 p.m.



Source link