Israel, Egypt signal closer cooperation as Sisi invites Bennett to Cairo

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained strong ties with Cairo in recent years, focusing almost exclusively on security cooperation. It appears that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi intends to establish similar strong relations with the new Israeli government with high-level meetings held yesterday and today in Israel with Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate chief Abbas Kamel.

Yesterday, Kamel met with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Today, Kamel met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. After their meeting, Lapid tweeted, "We discussed relations between the countries and the need to expand relations to economic and civil issues as well. Israel and Egypt have other areas in which cooperation can be promoted, starting with trade, medicine, technology, agriculture and energy, areas that will help advance relations between the countries."

Kamel's two-day visit in Jerusalem was a rarity. Over the years, there have been many reports of senior Israeli officials meeting with senior Egyptian counterparts, mostly in Cairo and mostly to discuss possibilities of a cease-fire with Gaza, but official visits to Israel and meetings with the Israeli leadership have been less frequent.

After the Jerusalem meeting, Gantz tweeted, "I met with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel. We discussed various topics including the need to maintain regional stability and counterterrorism efforts. I thanked him for Egypt’s positive role in the region and asked that my gratitude be expressed to President Al-Sisi. I also emphasized the importance of long-term peace and quiet on Israel’s southern border as well as the need to return the Israeli soldiers and civilians held hostage by Hamas in Gaza." Gantz was referring to the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Golding and Oron Shaul and Israeli civilians Avraham Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, held by Hamas for several years now.