Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to visit Cairo, but Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has one condition: Netanyahu must make a positive statement on the Palestinian issue, like committing himself again to the two-state solution, Israeli sources say.
Why it matters: The Egyptians are concerned that they are on the road to a difficult start with the Biden government. They want to reinvigorate their role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to send a positive signal to the White House and increase its relevance as Biden’s partner.
Between the lines: “Sisi does not care much about the Palestinian issue, but he knows that Netanyahu is looking for a photo opportunity for his election campaign and is trying to achieve a diplomatic achievement for Egypt,” a source familiar with the discussions told me.
Driving the news: The potential visit has been under discussion for several months, when Abraham’s agreements were signed and the political transition began in the United States
- Netanyahu paid an official visit to Egypt for the last time a decade ago, when Hosni Mubarak was still in power. Even so, the visit was to Sharm al-Sheikh and not Cairo.
- Since then, Netanyahu has secretly visited Egypt several times.
Behind the scenes: The visit almost happened about a month ago, but the Egyptians changed their minds after early elections were called in Israel, two Israeli sources told me.
- The trip was postponed and, when negotiations resumed, the Egyptians asked for a gesture of goodwill on the Palestinian issue in the context of the visit.
- The Egyptians specifically raised the idea of Netanyahu making a declaration of commitment to the two-state solution, Israeli sources said.
- Netanyahu had reservations about this proposal during an election campaign in which he is trying to mobilize his right-wing base.
The current situation: The visit is now suspended, but Israeli sources say efforts are being made to reach an agreement.
- The question came up again when Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Jerusalem last week for talks with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.
- Worthless: Sources close to Netanyahu denied knowledge of any conditions for the visit and denied that the issue was raised during Kamel’s meeting with the prime minister.
What to watch: Biden criticized Egypt during the election campaign for its human rights violations, and the Egyptians fear that their close ties to the Trump administration will not be brought to Biden.
- Emphasizing again the Egyptian role as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians could help Cairo build a positive agenda with the new government – and these efforts are already underway.