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Egypt's Sisi, Israel's Netanyahu meet for first time in public

 

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have met for the first time in public in what Egypt said was part of an effort to revive the Middle East peace process.

 

Egyptian authorities said in a statement the two had met on on Monday ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Sisi separately met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his residency, where they agreed to continue working towards a two-state solution.

 

The meeting came just days after Egypt helped broker an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas group to dissolve the administration that runs Gaza and hold talks with Abbas' Fatah movement, its Palestinian rivals .

 

For much of the last decade, Egypt has joined Israel in enforcing a land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip, a move to punish Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since a brief Palestinian civil war in 2007.

 

Netanyahu has said in recent weeks that ties between Israel and its Arab neighbours have been improving and that cooperation exists "in various ways and (at) different levels".

 

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognise Israel under the U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979. But Egyptian attitudes to its neighbour remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state.

 

In recent weeks, Egypt has hosted delegations from Fatah and Hamas to help reach an agreement between the two sides and talk about the Gaza border. But reunification a decade after their battle for control may hinge on whether complex power-sharing issues can be resolved.

 

Under pressure from the blockade, Hamas has sought to mend ties with Egypt, which controls their one border crossing. Egypt under Sisi has been wary of ties between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, which Sisi ousted from power after mass protests.

 

(Reporting by Nadine Awadalla; editing by Patrick Markey/Jeremy Gaunt)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-20

[retarius]

I have no idea what General Sisi is doing talking to the loathsome and evil Netanyahu. What is he talking to Abbas about a two state solution when Israel has no intention of having such a solution. 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

I have no idea what General Sisi is doing talking to the loathsome and evil Netanyahu. What is he talking to Abbas about a two state solution when Israel has no intention of having such a solution. 

 

"I have no idea"

 

Sums it nicely.

 

Reading the OP does give some clue as to al-Sisi's motivations, while also painting a somewhat more complex picture. Currently, Egypt's main involvement in issues pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is trying to bring about a long awaited reconciliation between the two main Palestinian factions.

 

With regard to Netanyahu having no intention of going forward with a two-state solution, that might very well be true. Seeing the light owing to political considerations is a possibility, albeit an unlikely one. Then again, it's not as if Abbas is able and willing to deliver as well (see the comment above, for example).

 

And ultimately, al-Sisi is more concerned about Egypt's interests - hence talks with Netanyahu. Better for Egypt's internal security issues, better for Egypt's regional and international status, and if something comes out of it - double bonus. Doesn't mean there's a whole lotta love there, smiles notwithstanding.

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, retarius said:

I have no idea what General Sisi is doing talking to the loathsome and evil Netanyahu

Yes, seemingly strange bedfellows.

One reason is that the two countries are security and economic partners.

Egypt and Israel co-op on the security of the Sinai Peninsula that has become a haven for transnational crime, Islamist militancy and radicalized Bedouin elements.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/security-egypts-sinai-peninsula
There has been a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel since 1978 and trade agreement since 1980. Both have a shared interest in controlling the "tunnel" economy between Egypt and the Gaza. Both along with Jordon jointly operate Qualifying Industrial Zones in a free trade agreement with the US.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2015-08-23/trading-peace-egypt-and-israel