The affinity between El-Sisi, 61, and Netanyahu, 66, is also remarkable given that antipathy toward Israel still runs deep in Egypt.
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“My visit comes amid the vision of President (Abdel Fattah al-) Sisi to achieve peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people and to bring this conflict to an end”, Shoukry told reporters.
Sisi promised warmer bilateral ties if progress was made on restarting peace talks that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The terrorist group, which had seized control of Gaza from Abbas’ P.A.by force in 2007, was originally established as Palestinian branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, on a platform sworn to Israel’s destruction.
Netanyahu vehemently rejected a French-sponsored Middle East peace initiative launched in June as an undesired intervention.
The scandals do not seem to have threatened Mr Netanyahu, who was first elected as Prime Minister 20 years ago with some breaks since, but have been a source of embarrassment and fuel for those who criticise him.
“The situation of the Middle East is becoming ever more volatile and risky, particularly as the phenomenon of terrorism continues to grow and proliferate, representing an existential threat to the peoples of the region and the world at large”, Shoukry said.
After President Mubarak’s was deposed in the 2011 Egyptian revolution, protesters stormed Israel’s embassy in that September. When he was defense minister, Israel lobbied the U.S.to release military aid to Cairo suspended over Egypt’s deadly crackdown on Islamists. He said he and Shoukry spoke at length on a number of key issues for Israel and the region, including advancing peace and stability between Israel and the Palestinians and among other countries in the region.
Idle Egyptian liquefaction plants could be reactivated to convert the Israeli gas for export to Europe and other global markets.
Dozens of militant attacks by an Islamic State affiliate on Egyptian security personnel have allowed El-Sisi to pull closer to the Jewish state.
“Today’s visit is significant in many respects”. “Israel tries to portray itself as a victim, when the real victims are the Palestinians”. “This will have a far-reaching and dramatic positive impact on the conditions in the entire middle east. Egypt is ready to contribute to achieve this goal”.
A spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid, earlier said Shoukry and Netanyahu “will be to discussing the understandings that have already been reached, they will solidify trust between Israel and the Palestinians and renew negotiations, in an effort to arrive at a comprehensive and just solution to the conflict”.
“Government offices have all been recruited to assist the residents who stand heroically in the face of vicious terrorism”, Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in announcing the package.
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Egypt supports both the Palestinian and the Israeli side to restore the peace talks, affirmed Shoukry, pointing that the starting point should be the adherence to worldwide resolutions, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry.
