Israel welcomes El-Sisi peace push

Egypt’s President has enthused about his country’s 1979 peace deal and said that it can serve as precedent for an Israeli-Palestinian deal.

There’s a “real opportunity” for a peace deal, said Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. His comments were highly unusual in an Egyptian context, in which peace with Israel is observed but rarely celebrated, and where Israel is still depicted negatively in state contexts.

The President said: “If we are able to – all of us together – with effort and a real will and devotion, find a solution for this issue, and find hope for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, I am telling you a new page will be written.” He said that the Israeli-Egyptian peace will become warmer if Israeli-Palestinian peace is achieved.

The comments underscore the major turnaround in Israel-Egypt relations.

The peace treaty between the two countries looked to be on shaky ground after the Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 that propelled a Muslim Brotherhood politician, Mohamed Morsi, to the presidency. But he was deposed in 2013 and the next year el-Sisi, head of the Egyptian Armed Forces, became President – much to Jerusalem’s delight.

Israeli officials have been indicating in recent weeks that ties with moderate Arab states are strong, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to el-Sisi by saying that Israel is ready to work with Arab states to solve the Palestinian conflict.

“I welcome Egyptian President el-Sisi’s remarks, and his willingness to make every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians and the peoples of the region,” Netanyahu said. “Israel is ready to participate with Egypt and other Arab states in advancing both the diplomatic process and stability in the region.

The comments of the two leaders come as the wave of Palestinian violence continues, albeit at a reduced rate. A young Jewish man is recovering after being stabbed by a Palestinian man near Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday.

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority say they are open in principle to talking peace, but they disagree on the details of how it should be done. The PA is backing plans for a French-convened peace conference but Jerusalem fears that this setting will not give the Israeli side a fair hearing. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued doomsday predictions on Tuesday in an apparent bid to pressure Israel to take part in the French initiative. He said that if the peace process isn’t revived it could bring “Islamic State and the [al-Qaeda affiliate] al-Nusra Front to Israel and the West Bank”.

NATHAN JEFFAY