Bennett, Egypt’s Sissi speak, agree to arrange meeting soon

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has spoken with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the first call between the two leaders since the new Israeli government was installed earlier this month, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

Sissi congratulates Bennett on entering office, a move that ousted long-serving former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was, until the June 13 confirmation of the new government, the only serving Israeli prime minister that Sissi ever dealt with as president.

Sissi and Bennett agree to organize a meeting between them as soon as possible.

During the call, Bennett and Sissi discussed regional and international bilateral relations, the statement says.

The two praised the countries’ 1979 peace agreement as “a foundation stone for stability in the Middle East for more than 40 years,” the PMO says.

Bennett also thanks Egypt for mediating between Israel and the Palestinians, and in particular Cairo’s efforts to find a solution to the problem of Israeli civilians and the remains of IDF soldiers held by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

Sissi emphasizes the need to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip following last month’s 11-day round of fighting, with a view to improving the civil and humanitarian situation of the residents of the Strip, and notes the need to renew the diplomatic process.

They also discussed advancing cooperation on economic and trade issues, the statement says.

A statement on behalf of Sissi stresses Egypt’s support for all efforts to reach a fair and permanent solution between the Palestinians and Israelis as well as the importance of Egypt’s efforts to help rebuild Gaza after the recent violence, Reuters reports.