CAIRO (AP) January.3— Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday urged Israel’s new hard-line government to refrain from “any measures” that could inflame regional tensions, in a phone call congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his return to office.The leaders spoke days after Netanyahu’s new Cabinet was sworn in, promising in its coalition guidelines to make settlement construction in the occupied West Bank a top priority.
According to a statement from the Egyptian leader’s office, el-Sissi stressed “the necessity of avoiding any measures that could lead to a tense situation” and further complications.
El-Sissi also said his government would continue its efforts to “maintain calm” between Israel and the Palestinians, the statement added.
Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders discussed Egyptian-Israel ties and stressed “the importance of promoting peace, stability and security for the sake of both peoples and for all peoples in the Middle East.”
Netanyahu returned to power on Thursday for an unprecedented sixth term as Israel’s premier, taking the helm of the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country’s 74-year history. The expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank could further escalate tensions between Israel and Palestinians and anger the international community. Most of the world believes that settlements built on Palestinian coveted land are illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Egypt and Israel reached a historic peace agreement in 1979. Relations between the two countries are generally cool, but security cooperation remains strong behind the scenes. In recent years, there are increasing signs of comprehensive cooperation. In 2021, then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met El-Sisi at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh as part of the first state visit to Egypt by an Israeli prime minister in over a decade.
His two countries in the Middle East signed a deal with him in June with the aim of increasing sales of liquefied natural gas to European countries, with the aim of reducing dependence on supplies from Russia amid the war in Ukraine. also signed a contract with the EU.
For years, Egypt has also served as a key intermediary between Israel and the Palestinian extremist group Hamas. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in his 2007, the enemy has fought his four wars. Most recently, in May 2021, he had an 11-day conflict. Egypt has quietly worked to agree a long-term ceasefire.
