On July 10, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Israel in the first trip of its kind since 2007. This visit came as part of a broader vision announced by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a speech he gave during the opening of the new Assiut power station May 17. In his speech, Sisi declared his intent to bring about a just and comprehensive peace between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, and put an end to the conflict that has raged for over half a century. He linked a “warmer peace” between Egypt and Israel to a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians being reached. This followed Shoukry’s visit to Ramallah on June 29, where he met with Palestinian leaders.
The Egyptian foreign minister’s visit to Israel sparked anger at the popular level for two reasons. First, the joint news conference between Shoukry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was held in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, and Shoukry was hosted for dinner that night in Jerusalem. This carried an implicit Egyptian recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem as well as its status as the capital of Israel. Second, the visit was accompanied by the image of Shoukry and Netanyahu watching the final game of the 2016 Euro Cup together in the Israeli prime minister’s residence. Netanyahu posted the photo to his Twitter account, commenting, “Tonight Sara [Netanyahu’s wife] & I hosted Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry in our Jerusalem home. We made time to watch the #Euro2016Final.”
It should be noted that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry clarified the latter point: ministry spokesman Ahmad Abu-Zaid said, “After concluding the talks Netanyahu asked to pass by the television in order to see the result of the game between France and Portugal. Shoukry walked alongside him on the way to exit [the building].”
Consistent with the state of popular anger at the visit, member of parliament Mustafa Bakri brought forward a demand for an explanation concerning the foreign minister’s visit to occupied Jerusalem to hold talks with the Israeli prime minister, especially following Netanyahu's visit to a number of countries in the Nile Basin. According to Bakri, these visits carried negative messages indicating Israeli intervention in Nile River affairs, something he claimed could impact Egyptian national security.
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