Jerusalem – Egypt’s foreign minister is set to arrive in Israel Sunday for the first such visit in nearly a decade, reflecting the warming ties between the former adversaries.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sameh Shoukry’s visit at his weekly Cabinet meeting, calling it an important sign of the positive change in Israel-Egypt relations. The last visit of an Egyptian foreign minister was in 2007.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the visit is aimed at reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Shoukry visited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank last month.
After decades of wars followed by years of uneasy peace, Israel has emerged as a discreet ally to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israel often praises el-Sissi for his tough stance on militants, and considers him a key ally in what it sees as a shared battle against Islamic extremists.
In particular, the two sides are believed to be sharing intelligence regarding their joint adversary Hamas in Gaza and in the battle against Islamic State militants in Sinai.
El-Sissi recently made a high-profile speech calling for a resumption of efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians and also others in the region. Egypt was the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel. Jordan is the only other Middle East country that followed suit.
A senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a closed meeting with the Egyptians, said el-Sissi had been trying to arrange a meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas but that Palestinians have been resisting because that haven’t received the assurances they were seeking. The official said Abbas insists there be a clear parameter for the meeting so that he does not appear to be meeting Netanyahu simply for the sake of it.