Sisi-Bennett meeting opens new chapter in Israel-Egypt ties
At the top of the agenda is achieving a sustainable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and whether progress can be made in Israeli-Palestinian talks.
CAIRO — On Sept. 13, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
This was the first public visit by an Israeli prime minister to Egypt in over a decade. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had met the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Since then, Netanyahu had not visited Cairo officially again — but Sisi recently invited Bennett to visit Egypt.
Egyptian and Israeli officials and analysts believe Bennett’s visit is a reflection of more public rapprochement between the two countries, which might pave the way for reviving the Middle East peace process.
The Egyptian presidency published a video from the meeting in which the two leaders smiled and greeted each other. The Israeli flag was placed behind Bennett as he sat across from Sisi for a photo op.
