Egypt says willing to work with Israel to fight terror

Egypt is willing to work with all members of the international community, including Israel, to combat terror, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Wednesday night.

Speaking at a UN session on terrorism, Shoukry, asked about Cairo’s reluctance to allow a more open border with the Gaza Strip, said his country “will address the issue of opening the Rafah crossing in an appropriate manner that guarantees both the interests of Egypt and the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

He added that Israel remained responsible for Gaza and the entry of goods into the coastal territory.

Egypt and Israel have imposed an air, sea and partial land blockade on Gaza since 2007, designed to prevent Hamas from rearming. Egypt is also fighting to contain jihadists in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula who pledged allegiance in November 2014 to the Islamic State.

Last month, the IDF deputy chief of staff said Israel is seeing “unprecedented” intelligence cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, as the fight against the Islamic State group nudges them to work together more closely. “There is a strong feeling in the region… that we have to put aside past animosities and concentrate on mutual interests and working together” to deal with the jihadist threat, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan said at a news conference for foreign reporters.

He spoke of an “unprecedented level of cooperation,” mainly regarding intelligence.

“But that’s between defense establishments, and I wouldn’t describe that as some sort of reconciliation between the people,” Golan said. “But it is a good starting point, and I’m quite optimistic concerning that.”

Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel, but relations remain delicate, particularly over their support for the Palestinians.

The Egyptian presidency said Monday that Egypt would use its influence as chair of the UN Security Council in May to defend the interests of the Palestinian people.

The pledge, made during talks between President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, came after France called for an international conference later this month to relaunch peace talks.

Abbas and Sissi discussed “ways of coordinating Arab efforts and the steps that need to be taken within the UN Security Council” as Egypt holds the rotating presidency of the council for the month of May, a statement said.

The two leaders said efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be bolstered in light of regional and international initiatives, including France’s decision to host a conference.

AFP contributed to this report.