Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived in Cairo on Thursday on a diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening ties and shoring up the tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
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Lapid met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and the country's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for talks that reflected budding ties between Egypt and the new Israeli government. Egypt's intelligence chief also participated in the meetings.
Egypt, the first Arab country to reach a peace agreement with Israel, has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, who have fought four wars since the terrorist group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, most recently an 11-day conflict in May, and Egypt has been working quietly to arrange a long-term truce.
Hamas demands that Israel ease restrictions on the strip, while Jerusalem is seeking the release of two Israeli captives and the remains of two dead soldiers held by the group.
The Foreign Ministry said Lapid presented a plan to develop Gaza's economy in return for assurances of quiet, and eventually disarmament, by Hamas. It said the plan must address "the issue of captives and missing persons."
Lapid also discussed Israeli efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, whose forces were toppled by Hamas in 2007. PA President Mahmoud Abbas governs only limited autonomous areas in the West Bank.
Lapid also raised concerns about the Iranian nuclear program and expressed desire to ramp up cooperation with Egypt in the civilian fields of economics, energy, agriculture, and trade, according to the Foreign Ministry.
"Egypt is an especially important strategic partner for Israel," he said. "My goal is to strengthen our security, diplomatic, and economic relations with Egypt. It's important to continue to work on the peace between our two nations."
Upon his arrival, Lapid was welcomed by el-Sissi, who stressed Egypt's commitment to a two-state solution and to achieving a "comprehensive and just" peace in the Middle East, according to a statement released by his office.
Lapid's visit came three months after Bennett held talks with el-Sissi in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. It was the first official trip to Egypt by an Israeli premier in over a decade.
Shoukry said Egypt supported efforts to rehabilitate Gaza following the conflict in May, and supported the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in order to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, based on the two-state solution.
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