Shrewd Netanyahu Bypasses American and French Peace Talks: Asks This Country, Instead, to Host Meeting

News Staff : May 26, 2016
JNS.org

The Israeli PM says he prefers direct talks with Abbas.

(Israel)—[JNS.org] Egypt is reportedly moving forward with plans to hold a trilateral summit in an effort to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. (Photo by Reuters/Jim Hollander and Amr Abdallah Dalsh/via al-monitor)

An Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in order to arrange a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. 

The delegation is reportedly led by Aviva Raz Shechter, the director general of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East Division, as well as other high-ranking officials. 

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the last few days have seen "significant diplomatic efforts" that have been led by Egypt to organize a summit between Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Last week, El-Sisi said he saw a "real opportunity" for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and that such a deal would "give safety and stability to both sides. If this is achieved, we will enter a new phase that perhaps no one can imagine now."

As opposed to a separate French initiative that seeks to involve the international community and exclude Israeli or Palestinian representatives, Netanyahu has said that he welcomes El-Sisi's plan for direct talks and his "willingness to invest every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.