Israeli minister says welcome gesture from Sissi shows ties moving into open

14 February 2022, 6:51 pm

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A spokesperson for Energy Minister Karine Elharrar says Israelis are right to gush over Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s warm welcome for her at the Egyptian Petroleum Show in Cairo.

“The president approaching the minister, the fact that he said he is happy she came and invited her to return is super exciting and testifies to the fact that ties that were once under wraps have become public,” the spokesperson says, adding that the display was not totally expected.

This is the first time Israel has been invited to the major regional gas conference, which has met four times before, according to Elharrar’s spokesperson. Most Egyptians reject normalization with Israel despite a peace treaty between the countries.

Elharrar says that Israels’ energy industry is “a bridge for regional ties,” in comments carried by Ynet.

According to to the news site, Elharrar indicated to the conference that Israeli gas would eventually reach Lebanon, via Egypt.

On Twitter, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett joins the crush of Israelis praising the authoritarian leader for his gesture to the Israeli minister, saying he “touched us all.”