PM met with Sisi during UN General Assembly on regional developments and Gaza; Second meeting between leaders this year; Netanyahu to address UNGA Thursday afternoon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in New York on Wednesday. Their meeting, which reportedly lasted two hours, was centered on the Gaza Strip, bilateral relations, the peace process and “regional developments”.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the meeting, releasing the statement “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in New York City. The two met for almost two hours and discussed regional developments and the situation in Gaza.”
Egyptian-Israeli relations continue to improve and strengthen given common enemies in the region and bilateral ties in trade and security. Last month, Egypt’s General Intelligence Chief, Abbas Kamel, reportedly held a secret meeting in Israel with security officials.
Israel’s standing and ties with neighboring Arab states continues to develop. Netanyahu reportedly met in secret with Sisi in May 2018. The prime minister reportedly flew to Egypt with a small group of advisors, talks centered on the US peace plan, Gaza Strip and regional coordination. The meeting also focused on Egypt’s ongoing efforts to establish a long-term ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as well as strategies to return the Gaza Strip to Palestinian Authority control.
Not long following, reports of a secret United Arab Emirates security delegation in Israel surfaced. The delegation reportedly met with Israeli security and military officials and toured IDF bases.
In June, a secret meeting between Netanyahu, the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and an UAE diplomat in Amman on the sidelines during meetings with Jordanian Kind Abdullah II was reported, one of several secret meetings between Saudi and Israel officials since 2017. At least three meetings have been reported between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Israeli officials since 2017.
Amir will give a special update following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s UN General Assembly speech on Thursday. Stay tuned!
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