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, such as re-engagement for the two-state solution, Israeli sources tell me.
Why does it matter: The Egyptians are worried that they are on the right track for a rocky start with the Biden administration. They want to reinvigorate their role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to send a positive signal to the White House and to increase its relevance as a partner for Biden.
Between the lines: “Sisi doesn’t care so much about the Palestinian issue, but she knows that Netanyahu is looking for a photo for his election campaign and is trying to get a diplomatic achievement for Egypt,” a source familiar with the talks told me. .
News management: The potential visit has been under discussion for several months as Abraham’s Accords came together and the political transition began in the United States.
- Netanyahu paid his last official visit to Egypt a decade ago, when Hosni Mubarak was still in power. Even then the visit was to Sharm al-Sheikh and not to Cairo.
- Since then, Netanyahu has secretly visited Egypt several times.
Behind the scenes: The visit almost took place about a month ago, but the Egyptians had thoughts after early elections were called in Israel, two Israeli sources tell me.
- The trip was postponed, and when the talks resumed, the Egyptians made 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 the proposal during an election campaign in which he is trying to mobilize his right-wing base.
Game status: The visit is now suspended, but Israeli sources say efforts are being made to find a compromise.
- The problem resurfaced when Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Jerusalem last week for talks with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.
- Not worth anything: 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 look for: Biden criticized Egypt during the election campaign for human rights violations, and Egyptians fear that their close ties to the Trump administration will not be passed on to Biden.
- Revisiting Egypt’s role as mediator between Israel and the Palestinians could help Cairo build a positive agenda with the new administration – and those efforts are already underway.