Egypt’s role in Gaza conflict helps Sisi break ice with Biden
President Joe Biden called his Egyptian counterpart as Egypt led back channel negotiations to mediate a cease-fire that ended the Israeli-Hamas escalation. Egypt hopes the call represents a turnaround in US ties and support for Nile Dam dispute.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call from US President Joe Biden on May 20, shortly before an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was announced between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
The call came four months after Biden took the helm in the White House, just as Sisi was looking to tighten his ties with the new Democratic administration, according to Egyptian analysts.
In a Facebook post, Sisi said he expressed his aspiration to strengthen relations with Washington and greeted Biden with “great joy.”
In a press conference at the White House on may 20, Biden praised Cairo's efforts to stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
