It had been a decade since an Israeli prime minister had visited Egypt on an official trip

Bennett meets Al-Sisi in Egypt

photo_camera PHOTO/ABIR SULTAN via AP - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting at the Foreign Ministry office in Jerusalem, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has travelled to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The two leaders will discuss a number of bilateral issues, according to Bassam Rady, official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency. Among these issues will be "ways and efforts to revive the peace process, as well as the latest developments in the regional and international arena". Diplomats told The Jerusalem Post that Bennett and Al-Sisi also plan to discuss regional issues, such as the serious crisis in Lebanon and Iran's influence in the region.

Cairo played a key role last May during the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas. The moderating role of the Egyptian diplomatic delegation was crucial after the cessation of hostilities. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with both his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and Hamas leader Ismail Haniye to consolidate the terms of the truce.

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Bennett's current visit to the Egyptian city also comes 10 days after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas travelled to Cairo to attend a summit with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Al-Sisi on the Palestinian issue.

Israeli media reported that Bennet's visit 'aims to pave the way for the resumption of direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis during the next political period'. They also reported that the two leaders agreed to hold the meeting in public rather than in secret. Ahead of the meeting, Israel lifted a number of restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip, the Markan media outlet said, noting that these moves are "a gesture by the Israeli side towards the efforts made by Egypt to reach an agreement in Gaza".

The visit is the first official trip by an Israeli head of government to Egypt since 2011. Then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with former president Hosni Mubarak in January, just before the protests that led to his overthrow began. Subsequently, during Al-Sisi's tenure, Netanyahu reportedly met secretly with the Egyptian president on several occasions, according to Israeli media reports.

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Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, after decades of confrontation since the formation of the Hebrew state in 1948.

The meeting between the two political leaders began to be arranged in mid-August in Jerusalem, when Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate, invited Bennett to visit Egypt. Kamel is the highest-ranking Egyptian official to visit Israel since the formation of the new Hebrew government. Egypt is the second country Bennett has visited, following a trip to the United States on 26 August.

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This meeting strengthens Israeli-Egyptian relations and in turn reinforces Cairo's role as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, the new Hebrew prime minister is beginning to outline his foreign policy towards his regional neighbours.

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