Al-Sisi and Netanyahu
Photo: Motti Kimchi and Reuters
Netanyahu may meet with al-Sisi at UN Assembly
The possible meeting between the two has already garnered both support and opposition, as the UN summit continues in the shadows of the recent NY, NJ acts of terrorism.
At least 40,000 police officers, backed by thousands of FBI agents, have been on duty at the United Nations Assembly taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York. The summit opened Monday on the heels of Saturday’s bombing attack in New York and the capture of a man suspected of being responsible both for the New York attack and a thwarted New Jersey bombing.
One meeting that is reportedly in the works is between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is due to arrive in Manhattan—and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi—who is already there. Though both camps have not acknowledged that such a meeting might take place, a top al-Sisi advisor said that “The matter is being looked at but has not yet been settled.”
Al-Sisi (L) and Netanyahu (Photos: Motti Kimchi and Reuters)
While US President Barack Obama has been distancing himself from al-Sisi due to severe human rights violations carried out against those in Egypt who oppose al-Sisi’s rule, the Egyptian president has been receiving attention from both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, both of whom seemed to want to discuss the US and Egypt jointly fighting global terrorism, while also enhancing their own diplomatic image.
Egyptians have expressed mixed reactions to reports over a possible meeting between al-Sisi and Netanyahu. Supporters of such an event stressed that al-Sisi should “rid himself” of the international pressure put upon him to meet with Netanyahu. Those who oppose such a step toward normalizing ties between Egypt and Israel said that al-Sisi “has enough problems at home, and is not looking to exacerbate the criticism aimed at him by having his picture taken with Netanyahu.”
