Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said on Wednesday the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem will cause "some instability" in the region, in his first public comments on the issue.
On Monday, the high-profile opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration raised tensions to the boiling point after weeks of violent anti-Israel demonstrations along the Gaza border.
"On the move of the U.S. Embassy, we have said this issue will have negative repercussions on Arab and Islamic public opinion and lead to a kind of dissatisfaction and some instability, and will have repercussions on the Palestinian cause," el-Sissi, a U.S. ally, said in televised remarks at a youth conference.
Egypt has condemned the deaths of Palestinians but avoided direct criticism of the United States following the opening of the Jerusalem embassy.
"I urge the Israelis to understand that the reactions of Palestinians over this issue are legitimate and that [they] are dealt with in a way that takes great care for the lives of Palestinians," el-Sissi added.
Separately, el-Sissi called for countries to resolve disputes peacefully, citing grave conditions in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
"The region cannot withstand any more wars," he said.
