Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday that his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi "laid the foundations for deeper ties down the road."
In the first official trip by an Israeli premier to Egypt in a decade, Bennett touched ground in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai peninsula for a meeting with the Egyptian leader he described as "very important and very good."
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meet in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday
(Photo: GPO)
Bennett said he and Sisi discussed "a number of issues concerning state, security and economic affairs, as well as ways to further deepen relations and boost the interests of both nations."
"Israel is beginning to further open itself to its regional neighbors," he said after the meeting.
The prime minister thanked Sisi for Egypt's important role in the region, stating that the peace accords signed between the countries in 1979 continue to be the bedrock of security and stability in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for Sisi said that during the meeting — which included both Israeli and Egyptian officials — the Egyptian president stressed that his country supports any efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of the two-state solution, which he added will boost security for all people of the region.
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Bennett meeting with Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Kamel Abbas
(Photo: GPO)
The trip also appears to come as a boon for travel between the two countries.
The Transportation Ministry said on Monday that the Taba Border Crossing between Israel and Sinai, the main gateway for Israeli tourists into Egyptian territory, is set to fully reopen on Monday for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, Egypt's flag carrier Egyptair will begin operating several weekly flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv starting October, sources at the airline said.
Monday's talks took place as tensions between Israel and Gaza Strip terrorist factions have been running high since late August, testing a fragile truce between the parties brokered by Egpyt after 11 days of conflict in May.
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The Taba Border Crossing between Israel and Sinai peninsula
(Photo: Israel Airports Authority)
Over the past week, Palestinian militants have fired rockets into Israel for three consecutive nights, drawing retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.
The last official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Egypt was when Benjamin Netanyahu met former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 in Sharm el-Sheikh, just before the uprising that toppled Mubarak.