Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to visit Cairo, but Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has a condition: Netanyahu must make a positive statement on the Palestinian issue, such as recommitting himself to the two-state solution, Israeli sources say.
Why it matters: The Egyptians are worried that they are heading for a rocky start with the Biden government. They want to revitalize their role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to send a positive signal to the White House and to increase their interest as a partner for Biden.
Between the lines: “Sisi does not care so much about the Palestinian issue, but he knows Netanyahu is looking for a photo-op for his election campaign and is trying to get a diplomatic achievement for Egypt out of it,” said a source familiar with the discussions. told me.
Send the news: The potential visit has been under discussion for several months when the Abraham agreements came together and the political transition in the USA 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 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 thought again after early elections were called in Israel, two Israeli sources tell me.
- The trip was postponed, and when the talks resumed, the Egyptians made the request for a gesture of goodwill over the Palestinian issue in the context of the visit.
- The Egyptians specifically raised the idea that Netanyahu would make a statement of commitment to the two-state solution, Israeli sources said.
- Netanyahu has reservations about the proposal during an election campaign in which he is trying to mobilize his right-wing base.
The state of affairs: The visit is now underway, but according to Israeli sources, an attempt is being made to find a compromise.
- The issue came up again when Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Jerusalem last week for talks with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.
- Note: Sources close to Netanyahu deny knowledge of any condition for the visit, and deny that the matter came up during Kamel’s meeting with the prime minister.
What to look for: Biden criticized Egypt during the election campaign for human rights violations, and the Egyptians fear that their close ties with the Trump administration will not continue after Biden.
- The emphasis on the Egyptian role as mediator between Israel and the Palestinians could help Cairo set a positive agenda with the new government – and these efforts are already under way.