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 re-committing to the two-state solution, Israeli sources say.
Why it matters: The Egyptians are concerned that they are headed for a rough start with the Biden government. They want to revive their role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to send a positive signal to the White House and increase their relevance as a partner to Biden.
Between the lines: “Sisi doesn’t care much about the Palestinian issue, but he knows Netanyahu is looking for a photo op for his election campaign and is trying to do a diplomatic achievement for Egypt,” said a source familiar with the discussions. .
Driving the news: The possible visit has been under discussion for several months when the Abraham Accords met and the political transition began in the US.
- Netanyahu last made an official visit to Egypt ten years 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 had their reservations after early elections were held in Israel, two Israeli sources tell me.
- The trip was postponed and when talks resumed, the Egyptians asked for a goodwill gesture on the Palestinian issue as part of the visit.
- The Egyptians specifically put forward the idea that Netanyahu would make a statement advocating for the two-state solution, Israeli sources said.
- Netanyahu had reservations about the proposal during an election campaign seeking to mobilize his right-wing base.
The state of affairs: The visit has now been put on hold, but Israeli sources say it is trying 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.
- Worth nothing: Sources close to Netanyahu denied having knowledge of any condition for the visit, and denied that the matter was raised during Kamel’s meeting with the prime minister.
What to watch: Biden criticized Egypt during the election campaign for its human rights violations, and the Egyptians fear their close ties to the Trump administration will not continue to Biden.
- By re-emphasizing Egypt’s role as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, Cairo could help build a positive agenda with the new government – and those efforts are already underway.