Hebrew Media: These Are the Most Prominent Files Discussed by Turkey and Egypt

Hebrew media shed light on the ongoing meetings between Turkey and the Egyptian regime, to discuss several controversial files in preparation for improving bilateral relations between them, after a period of hiatus that lasted for more than 7 years.

“After years of tense relations, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Unal met with his Egyptian counterpart Hamdi Sanad Loza, and they discussed regional issues, including the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,” Israel Hayom newspaper said.

It added, “This is another rapprochement between Ankara and Cairo, as a two-day round of meetings concluded between the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister and his Egyptian counterpart, and this round of meetings is a follow-up to the previous meeting between delegations in Cairo in May 2021.”

 

The Hebrew newspaper pointed out that “one of the most prominent issues discussed by the two parties is what is happening in Israel, especially with regard to the Palestinian arena, as well as in other countries in the region where they have similar interests; in Libya, Syria, and Iraq, and they also discussed what is happening in the eastern Mediterranean.”

It stated that “the two sides agreed to take more steps to get closer to normalizing relations between the two countries.”

The newspaper reported that, “As early as March 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took measures to satisfy his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his men, and the Ankara authorities ordered the TV channels (El Sharq), (Watan), and (Mekameleen) to stop criticizing the Sisi regime.”

It considered that “these channels are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and therefore Erdogan wanted to send a message;—if necessary—he would agree to take steps that might be interpreted as contradicting the wishes of a large part of his electorate.”

In a separate context, the newspaper Israel Hayom referred to the tripartite political summit between Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo, on September 9, 2021.

Abbas said during the tripartite summit: “The Palestinian leadership will continue to work for the unity of our country and people and to achieve national interests on the basis of international law,” and promised “to form a government of national unity that will assist in rehabilitation activities in the Gaza Strip, and that it will be possible to hold parliamentary and presidential elections once it can be held in East Jerusalem.”

He launched an attack on “Israel” at the tripartite summit, saying: “The provocations the occupation authorities are doing in occupied Jerusalem, the terrorist attacks of settlers under the protection of the occupation army, the lack of respect for the site and the historical status of the Noble Sanctuary, and attempts to expel the Palestinians from their homes, all lead to more tension and instability in the region.”

The newspaper pointed out that Abbas said: “It is unfortunate that the Israeli occupation of our country has gradually become a cruel reality while the Israeli project imposes on the Palestinians apartheid and ethnic cleansing through laws, infrastructure destruction, military empowerment, and operations that violate international law.”

He added: “The Palestinians showed great flexibility and acted positively with all international initiatives and efforts aimed at achieving peace under international law, so we renew our readiness to work at this stage to implement confidence-building measures that include achieving complete calm in all Palestinian territories, commitment to signed agreements, and not taking any unilateral actions.”

 

For his part, the Israeli orientalist, Shahar Kleiman, pointed out that “informed sources told Al Arabiya that Egypt will soon announce a return to the armistice talks between Israel and Hamas, in addition to the resumption of negotiations that will include a prisoner exchange deal and the reconstruction of Gaza.”

The sources also mentioned in an interview with Al Arabiya that Abbas “discussed the issue of reconciliation with Hamas, and that Cairo is working on an unconditional reconciliation agreement draft between the parties.”

Kleiman pointed out that “Abbas briefed Sisi on September 2, 2021, on the latest political developments, the internal Palestinian situation and recent events in the territories, and also expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts and support for the issue and its historical role to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the cause.”

In another context, the Israeli security orientalist Yoni Ben-Menachem indicated in the Hebrew website News1 that the U.S. administration supports the Egyptian initiative that works to establish a long-term truce between “Israel” and Hamas, after “Operation Guardian of the Walls.”

President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Sisi and asked him for Egyptian assistance in achieving calm in the Gaza Strip.

According to Egyptian sources, the meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Sisi “will address Israel’s request from Egypt to increase its activity on the border with the Gaza Strip, to prevent the smuggling of advanced weapons from Iran.”

It stated that “tensions on the borders of the Gaza Strip are still continuing despite the series of facilitations provided by Israel, as Egypt completely opened the Rafah crossing in both directions, while the Palestinian factions decided to gradually escalate the borders, asking Israel to allow the Qatari grant to enter the Strip immediately, and returning the situation to its previous state.”

News1 concluded its report by saying: “Egypt is trying to prevent any escalation that leads to a new round of fighting.”