Israel’s Energy Minister Karin Elharar is set to participate tomorrow in Cairo at the 7th ministerial meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF). According to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Elharar will meet in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tariq al-Mulla, and European Union Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. These meetings should serve as preparation for a memorandum of understanding on exporting Israeli natural gas from Egypt to Europe.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met this evening with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was on a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank. Earlier in the day, she met with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and also delivered a speech at Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, where she received an honorary doctorate. Yesterday, von der Leyen met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Elharar.

Addressing journalists at the beginning of the meeting, Bennett said, "Today, both of us will be discussing ways where the EU and Israel can cooperate on food security, energy and more. In recent years, Israel went from being a gas importer to becoming a gas exporter, and we are currently working to produce more natural gas from Israel’s economic waters."  

Before meeting with von der Leyen, Bennett met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, also on a visit to Israel. Speaking at a joint press conference with Draghi, the Israeli prime minister pledged to help Europe obtain alternative sources of gas to Russia’s fuel, noting that "Israel will be able to help Europe, producing natural gas, and this is excellent news."