Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called President Isaac Herzog on Sept. 6, wishing him a happy Jewish new year and expressing hopes for increased cooperation with Israel. A statement issued by Herzog’s office said the two men “expressed hope that the new year will bring with it more cooperation and dialogue that will bring hope for both peoples.”
One day earlier, Herzog got a phone call from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Egyptian leader called Herzog to congratulate him personally on entering office and extend his wishes to the Israeli people for the Jewish new year and the September holidays. Reportedly, the two leaders discussed bilateral issues and shared Egyptian-Israeli interest, with a mutual agreement to continue being in contact. "I thanked President al-Sisi for his important role pursuing regional stability and peace and we agreed to stay in contact," he tweeted. Sisi had sent Herzog a letter on July 16 to congratulate him on taking office. The Sept. 14 call was the first time they officially spoke.
The two phone calls came shortly after publication in Israeli press over a rare visit by Herzog in Jordan. In fact, on Sept. 4, Herzog revealed he had traveled to Amman for talks with King Abdullah II. Herzog did not give the precise date of his meeting with the king but said he spent a very positive and important evening with him at the royal palace. “Jordan is a very important country. I have immense respect for King Abdullah, a great leader and a highly significant regional actor. In our meeting, among the things we discussed were the core issues in the dialogue between our states. There is a sense in the region of a desire to make progress, a desire to speak,” said Herzog.
In the conversation with the king, Herzog hailed the Abraham Accords for normalization of ties with the Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, stating “these accords created an important regional infrastructure. They are highly important agreements, which are transforming our region and the dialogue within it.” Herzog also said he plans to speak with and meet other heads of state in the region. “I speak with many leaders from all around the world, almost every day, in full coordination with the government of Israel. I think that it is very important for the state of Israel’s strategic and diplomatic interests to engage everyone in dialogue,” he noted.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
