On rare Israel visit, Egyptian FM calls for 2-state solution

Egypt’s foreign minister is to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday on reviving peace efforts with the Palestinians, on the first such visit to Israel in almost a decade that is the latest sign of warming ties.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has sought to support the Palestinian cause while meeting with the Israeli prime minister, whose extremist regime is widely viewed as the main obstacle to any prospect of peace for Palestinians.

Netanyahu confirmed his visit to Israel and said the last such trip by an Egyptian foreign minister was in 2007. Egypt remains ready to contribute to achieving this goal.

Shoukry also briefed his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Gouda over the results of his visit to Israel regarding peace talks. The two countries had since cooperated on security and diplomatic affairs.

Netanyahu, for his part, called on the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to engage in direct negotiations with the Israeli regime.

For years, the two countries have remained discreet about their close military ties to avoid aggravating public opinion in Egypt, which opposes normalized relations despite a 37-year-old peace treaty.

Shoukry said that Egypt would be satisfied if Israel would accept either the French or the Egyptian peace initiatives. Last week, Netanyahu authorized hundreds of new homes for Israelis in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.He said the funding will go to Kiryat Arba, a settlement of 7,000 Israelis, and to the Jewish residents of the adjacent Palestinian city of Hebron.

Shoukry said the threat of terrorism is growing and “no person, group or people are exempt”. “We greatly value the trust of both sides and the global community in our commitment to peace, stability and justice”, Shoukry emphasised.

But Egyptian attitudes to its neighbour remain icy, due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land meant to form a Palestinian state.

However, recent reports in the Israeli media in recent days have speculated that the inquiry comes on the back of allegations that Netanyahu or one of his family members had received large sums of money, supposedly unrelated to political campaigns.

The Israeli TV Channel 2 News reported that arrangements are being discussed between Egypt and Israel for Netanyahu to visit Egypt. Further information has not yet been revealed.

Mr. Sisi recently made a high-profile speech calling for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine, a move welcomed by Mr. Netanyahu.

Palestinians are seeking the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as the capital – territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.