Hamas officially announced on Monday its acceptance of the mediators' proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire. The statement was brief, noting that Hamas, along with other Palestinian terror groups, responded positively to the Egyptian-Qatari proposal. This followed a meeting in Cairo with Palestinian delegations, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front, and a representative of Mohammed Dahlan's faction, who met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al-Thani.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations and the proposal's details, as reported by Al-Akhbar, a newspaper considered close to Hamas, the proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire, a two-phase Israeli withdrawal (initially up to 1,000 meters from the border in the north and east of the strip), the release of ten living hostages, the transfer of 18 bodies, and in return, the release of 140 terrorists serving life sentences and 60 others with sentences exceeding 15 years, as well as the release of all minor and female terrorists. It also includes extensive aid delivery through the UN and Red Cross.

The proposal also initiates negotiations to end the war immediately upon the temporary ceasefire's activation and discusses establishing a temporary administrative committee in Gaza. However, Arab and international suggestions to deploy foreign or Arab forces were rejected by Egypt. An Egyptian source said, "Cairo does not see the proposals to send foreign or Arab forces to Gaza as anything but an attempt to impose a reality on the ground, which would harm its influence on the Palestinian issue." The source added that Egypt, with Qatar's support, is pushing for a community support committee under Palestinian Authority supervision to manage Gaza post-war. The source further noted that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa will work to announce this committee in the coming days, responding to Egyptian pressure.

A source also provided details to Palestinian media about the redeployment of Israeli forces under the mediators' proposal, specifying a range of approximately 750–1,000 meters across various Gaza areas. Several issues were deferred for discussion during the 60-day ceasefire, including Gaza's weapons, the presence of international or Arab forces, Gaza's governance, and ending the war. The source claimed that any potential disputes are limited to the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Hamas officials emphasized that this issue "will not be an obstacle."

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Senior Saudi researcher Dr. Aziz Alghashian does not believe there will be a significant turning point in US-Saudi relations following President Donald Trump's visit. He believes the Saudis will demonstrate that they are "ready to do business, but not at any price."

Alghashian recalls the Iranian drone attack on the kingdom's oil facilities six years ago. He says, "One of the factors behind the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran was Trump's lack of response in 2019, or the hesitant response." Riyadh and Tehran reestablished ties in an agreement mediated by China in March 2023.

"I think it was a disappointment," the Saudi researcher tells Israel Hayom about the 2019 events. "It demonstrated to the Saudis the fact that they said, 'Okay, we'll need to do things completely differently from now on. We'll need to invest more in the regional rapprochement process, especially with Iran and even with other actors. And if the US can help with that, then that would be good. If not, we can at least protect ourselves from the consequences that Donald Trump might bring.'"

"In my opinion, there are also differences between Trump's current visit and Trump's visit in 2017. That year, there wasn't just investment in trying to develop relations between Saudi Arabia and the US, but also investment in Trump himself. There was a reception that really tried to 'win over' Trump. This time the visit is different and more business-oriented. I think the Saudis will demonstrate that they are ready to do business, but not at any price," he said.

He estimates that during the visit, the parties will not discuss normalization with Israel. In this context, a Palestinian source who briefed Sky News in Arabic said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised Palestinian Authority Deputy Chairman Hussein al-Sheikh that there would be no normalization with Israel without ending the war in Gaza and a diplomatic process to establish a Palestinian state.

Regarding the ceasefire in Yemen, the Saudi researcher says the Saudis welcomed the agreement between the US and the Houthis. At the same time, the Saudi researcher notes that this is an example of why the Saudis are so skeptical about Washington's intentions. "I think the Saudis know that the US did this not for Red Sea security but for American ships. It was a sort of 'America First' approach, and perhaps an 'America Only' approach. The danger in this is that it could stop at any time, and that's exactly what happened in the past."

He says the Saudi concern regarding Yemen stems from the fact that they could theoretically mobilize ground forces against the Houthis and ultimately there would be no real change or no results from the US. "Imagine if Saudi Arabia had prepared ground forces. That was one of the things discussed a few weeks ago. The Saudis understand that they've been there before and there's a whole history where they didn't see things from the US. And then suddenly the response wasn't strategic enough, or wasn't enough to bring about real change. And I think that's the difficulty. That's why I think they welcome it. Any increased tension would be harder to manage. It could spill over into Saudi Arabia."

Recent decisions by the Trump administration may also erode America's standing. According to the Arab Barometer polling institute, the decision to freeze the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) could further damage America's standing. According to the institute, since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war, Arab public opinion favorable to the US is already declining compared to attitudes toward China.

Just last month, China and Egypt held their first joint air exercise, grandiosely named "Eagles of Civilization 2025." The drills began in April and continued until early May. This is part of a long-term process led by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Since coming to power a decade ago, he has visited China eight times. His predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, who served for 30 years until his removal, made only six visits. The American think tank Atlantic Council recently noted in a report that early 2025 marked the "golden decade" in relations between the two countries. The institute estimated that China is expected to increase its presence in the land of the Nile. Just last December, contracts and memoranda of understanding worth billions of dollars were signed.

Arab anger

Additionally, Trump's announcement about the evacuation plan from Gaza and his desire for Egypt and Jordan to absorb Palestinians provoked anger in Cairo. El-Sissi postponed his visit to Washington until further notice, and as we published in Israel Hayom, a venomous campaign against the US and Israel was conducted on social media through a digital influence network. In fact, Egypt is not at all on Trump's itinerary in the Middle East.

"Egypt-America relations are experiencing a deep and worsening crisis since the rise of the Trump administration," exiled Egyptian writer Mohamed Saad Khairallah tells Israel Hayom. "This crisis has expanded to the extent that it borders on political adventurism by Cairo with its strongest ally in the world, one that has never disappointed its allies. It seems that the Egyptian regime is adopting an approach that contradicts its supreme interests for the Egyptian state."

According to the source, "Within a short period of time, Cairo sent four 'rejection' messages to Washington, what could be called 'Cairo's four nos.' First, no to accepting refugees from Gaza on Egyptian territory, so that this pressure card remains in the regime's hands for political negotiation. Second, no to the legitimate American request for Egypt's participation in the military coalition against the Houthis, before the recent developments on the issue, and the Houthi declaration of relative surrender. Third, no to America's legitimate desire to allow free passage for American ships through the Suez Canal, which is considered an unprecedented escalation in bilateral relations. And fourth, no to the head of state himself. President el-Sissi responded to President Trump's invitation to visit Washington by accepting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's invitation, he participated in Victory Day celebrations, and even invited a unit from the Egyptian armed forces to appear at these celebrations, with their clear symbolic and political significance."

The Egyptian writer warns that "the escalation of signals continues – from the announcement of new arms deals with China and South Korea to joint military exercises for elite forces in Turkey, all these steps were implemented in recent weeks. The clearest message Cairo is sending to the White House resident is, 'We are going to join the other camp.' There is no doubt that this trend will have serious consequences if things continue this way, both for the future of relations between the two countries and for Egypt's regional and international stability."

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It has been nearly a decade since then-General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi came to power as president of Egypt following a military coup. 

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July 3, 2013, began as a regular day in Cairo, with demonstrations held against then-President Mohamed Morsi, but ended in his dramatic ouster. 

The Egyptians took to the streets for seven long months. Some due to Morsi's attempt to reinstate an Islamist-led parliament, others due to the energy crisis. Following the coup, there were suspicions that the Egyptian military had manipulated the fuel prices to destabilize the government. 

A gas manager said of the events in 2013, "Before the demonstrations, I would send two of my workers to negotiate all night so that we would have enough gas, and it didn't always work. Tonight, [following the protests,] both pumps were full and the supplier called to ask if we needed more." 

Like many other fields in Egypt, the fuel industry is also under the influence of the military. 

The Muslim Brotherhood did not give up easily. In the weeks following Morsi's ouster, violent clashes took place between their members and the security forces, leading to thousands of deaths. The next step was to declare the movement illegal and embark on an unprecedented arrest campaign. 

A decade later, el-Sissi himself now faces a similar problem: the Egyptian pound is decreasing in value and the projects he announced, including the building of new cities and highways, are a burden on the state budget. 

The highlight of the massive construction boom is the new administrative capital that is being built east of Cairo but is several years behind schedule. These ventures, which resemble those of real estate giants Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, led to harsh criticism against el-Sissi. 

For instance, his opponents lament that a whopping 58 billion dollars invested in the building of the new capital come mainly from the state budget. 

A report by the Washington-based POMED (Project on Middle East Democracy) group said that despite el-Sissi's claim that not a penny would be taken from the state budget to build the new capital, most of the funds do come from the state's coffers. The report also said that billions of dollars ended up in the pockets of construction companies closely affiliated with the government. 

"What we find is an expanding state within a state, with resources funneled to the military regime and debt piled on to the civilian government," the report said. The project is "actually making el-Sissi's hold on power more, rather than less, tenuous – creating bubbles in the desert, ready to pop." 

El-Sissi's second major construction project was the development of the Suez Canal, expected to double revenue from ships that pass through to about 13 billion dollars a year. After 12 months of intensive digging, which required 25,000 local workers, the canal was launched 8 years ago. 

Egypt was not spared by the Ukraine war either, which led to more debt. Wheat prices on the world market soared, and the bread subsidy budget increased as a result. As such, el-Sissi was in dire need of other sources of income more than ever. It seems he found a solution, among other things, by warming ties with former rivals, such as Turkey and Iran. 

Earlier this month, the Saudi Al Arabiya outlet reported that Tehran and Cairo were working on an agreement to establish a committee to renew ties, including security coordination. Such a development would boost tourism in Egypt, one of the pillars of its economy. Rapprochement between Egypt and Iran, however, is a cause for concern for Israel. 

Baseless oppression

El-Sissi is also subject to criticism due to the widespread violation of the civil rights of his citizens, an issue that became a source of tension with the United States when the Democratic Party came to power. 

"Human rights are at an all-time low in Egypt, it's never been this bad," Egyptian activist and Middle East expert Mohamed Saad Hirala, who was forced to flee to Sweden, told Israel Hayom. "Currently, in many cases the abuse is baseless, it's just oppression for the sake of oppression." 

Saad explained what stood behind the uprising against the Muslim Brotherhood. 

"After months under their rule, the vast majority of the masses were convinced that they didn't have the mandate to rule, and therefore the people came out against them as one. This unity was the key to stopping the Muslim Brotherhood. The Egyptian people, from all walks of life, became victims of political fraud. The Brotherhood had nothing but delusions, no vision, and no plan. This fact naturally united all of society against them. Now el-Sissi is promoting a unique model of totalitarian rule by himself and the institution he belongs to.

"That's why you can understand how a country of 110 million people is on the verge of exploding at any moment, with a tremendous amount of rage and hatred. Everything happens because of baseless oppression. And when the country celebrates the actions of a murderer [terrorist Mohamed Salah Ibrahim who killed three Israeli soldiers in a border attack in early June] – it is clear that society is officially moving to the model of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Iran."

Asked whether a change was possible, Saad said, "There is more than one solution and the Egyptian issue is very complex. One of the solutions is to impose international supervision and oversight on the next presidential elections. There is no other option than to have this done through world powers because in the next explosion, everyone will pay the price." 

The elections Saad mentioned are scheduled to be held in January 2024. Many estimate they will end in a similar result to the 2018 vote when some candidates withdrew due to pressure from the government, and el-Sissi won with 97% of the votes.

Compared to the domestic situation, ties between Cairo and Jerusalem have improved significantly in the last decade. 

Peace and obstacles

Haisam Hassanein, a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies writes about the ties between Israel and Arab countries and is one of the only Egyptian academics to have received his Master's degree from Tel Aviv University. 

When asked about the factors that impacted ties during the el-Sissi era, Hassanein replied, "Egypt experienced political and socio-economic problems that brought Cairo and Jerusalem closer together. Egypt saw Israel as a partner in its war on terror in Sinai and in improving its image in Washington's political circles when it came to the battle of narratives against the Muslim Brotherhood."

Where to now?

The Egypt border attack once again raised the question of the gap between the ties between the governments and Israelis and Egyptians. 

According to Hassanein, some of the steps that can be implemented t bring about a rapprochement between the people and not just between the two governments include "interactions between Israelis and Egyptians. This is one of the missing elements in the peace between Israel and Egypt. This can happen through tourism, education, culture, and most importantly – commerce."

In a recent piece, Hassanein wrote that it was "clear" that the peace agreement did not moderate the widespread hatred of Israel in Egyptian culture.

The time has come for a new approach that starts in Israel, not Egypt, he wrote. 

A dormant embassy

Hassanein also noted that el-Sissi's gestures toward Jerusalem were not part of an ongoing effort to change Egyptian public opinion about Israel.

A more pragmatic way to change the discourse regarding Israel may begin in Tel Aviv, where Cairo maintains a dormant embassy whose staff are doing little to promote the peace treaty with Israel and has little interest in the Jewish state. For instance, the embassy does not facilitate visits by Egyptian business people and academics who are interested in cooperation, Hassanein wrote.

Speaking to Israel Hayom, Hassanein explained that Egypt's security establishment is  not interested in such developments as "past wars have not been forgotten."

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"Politically, they are thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Culturally, if many Egyptians come to Israel and see how good life is here, some poor youngsters may try to move to Israel illegally, as they are trying in Europe."

Just recently, dozens of migrants drowned off the coast of Greece trying to reach the continent in search of a better life. Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the ship, which suffered a malfunction, was carrying illegal immigrants from Europe to Lybia, with hundreds of people of various nationalities, including Egyptians.

Is this the fate awaiting all of Egypt? El-Sissi promises that despite the challenges, he will manage to steer the country to a safe harbor.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Jordan to begin a three-country Mideast visit, is aiming to reassure key allies of American commitment to the region despite Washington's recent focus on Russia and China, officials said, but plans frank messages for leaders of Israel and Egypt.

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The Pentagon chief, who arrived in Amman on Sunday, is expected to press Israeli leaders to reduce tensions in the West Bank and work to strengthen ties in talks with Egyptian leaders while touching on human rights concerns.

Video: Reuters

"Austin will convey enduring US commitment to the Middle East and provide reassurance to our partners that the United States remains committed to supporting their defense," a senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. The United States has about 30,000 troops in the region and is seen as pivotal in helping counter Iranian influence.

Retired US Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie, who headed American forces in the Middle East until last year, said the region is significant to the United States in part because of China's growing role.

"I think this trip is an excellent example of an opportunity to continue to tell people in the theater (region) that they remain important to us," McKenzie, now leading the University of South Florida's Global and National Security Institute, added.

Central to the discussions will be the "full constellation of Iran-associated threats..," a senior defense official was quoted as saying on the Pentagon's official site ahead of the visit. "Those threats include Iran's arming, training and funding of violent proxy groups, aggression at sea, cyber threats, its ballistic missile program, and drone attacks," the official added.

Ties between China and Middle Eastern countries have expanded under the region's economic diversification push, raising US concerns about growing Chinese involvement in sensitive infrastructure in the Gulf including in the United Arab Emirates.

The United States in February week demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repudiate a call by hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for a flashpoint Palestinian village to be "erased" – a comment that Netanyahu on Sunday called "inappropriate." The US State Department has called Smotrich's comment "repugnant."

"He (Austin) will also be quite frank with Israeli leaders about his concerns regarding the cycle of violence in the West Bank and consult on what steps Israeli leaders can take to meaningfully restore calm before the upcoming holidays," the US defense official said.

With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday weeks away, foreign mediators have sought to reduce tensions that have arisen recently. Austin is poised to send a clear message on the need for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to respect human rights, underscoring Washington's concern on the issue.

"I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," the US defense official said.

Under Sissi, who as army chief led the 2013 ouster of Egypt's first democratically elected president, there has been a long crackdown on political dissent that has swept up liberal critics as well as Islamists. The United States has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions. Advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back.

The United States, long an important player in the Middle East, has been preoccupied with other international matters during President Joe Biden's administration, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and concern over Chinese military activity near the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The United States has committed more than $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine including sophisticated air defense systems and tanks.

Mistrust toward the United States among some in the Middle East has built up since the 2011 "Arab Spring" uprisings when Gulf rulers were shocked at how President Barack Obama's administration abandoned the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after a decades-old alliance.

The United States pulled out the last of its troops from Afghanistan in a chaotic withdrawal in 2021, further raising questions in the broader region about Washington's commitment.

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And while Egypt, Germany, France, and Jordan issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying that they categorically reject Israel's plans and that such a move would "violate international law and could also have an impact on relations with Israel," Cairo has not independently criticized Israel the way the other three have.

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Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, said Egypt tends to be "less sensitive about these issues."

Egypt is currently focused on a number of other issues, such as problems with Ethiopia and Sudan. He explained.

Tensions have arisen over Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam project, which could negatively affect Egypt's water supply since both countries share the Nile River.

"The fact that Egypt is quiet on a publicly level doesn't mean it is quiet privately," he noted.

Guzansky pointed out other factors that influence Egypt's quiet approach to Israel's plans.

Egypt's relationship with Israel is important for fighting against the presence of terror groups in Sinai, according to Guzansky, and Egypt also "does not want to jeopardize its relationship with [US President Donald] Trump."

The country is also fighting Turkey for strategic superiority in neighboring Libya – something "very high on Egypt's agenda," according to Guzansky.

Dana Stroul, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told JNS that the pro-sovereignty camp in Israel wagers that "each Arab government stands to lose too much from cutting off relations with Israel, even if annexation takes place unilaterally outside of bilateral negotiations."

She said that "Egyptian leaders certainly do not support unilateral annexation." But instead of publicly condemning Israel, they are raising their concerns quietly and through intelligence channels.

"Egypt's relationship with Israel has remained largely under the table and in the security realm; issues are worked out privately among the professionals," according to Stroul.

Peace between the countries 'will not collapse the day after'

Stroul listed a number of reasons that Egypt has chosen a "more subdued approach."

The first, she said, "is to protect the relationship with US President Donald Trump, who has embraced President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and eliminated virtually all US criticism of his government."

The second is that Arab leaders don't want to be on "the receiving end of an angry tweet [by Trump] threatening to cut assistance or downgrade the relationship due to criticism of Israeli annexation."

Third, Egypt's peace treaty with Israel "has allowed the Egyptian military to focus on the real threats to Egypt's security: counterterrorism, porous borders to the west with Libya and to the south with Sudan, and maritime threats."

She also noted that "in the Sinai, the Egyptian army has not succeeded in effectively eliminating that ISIS branch and receives intelligence and other forms of support from Israel."

Even if Israel applies sovereignty, she said, "Israeli security support and intelligence cooperation is too valuable to risk losing given the very real threat of ISIS directing attacks inside Egypt."

Fourth, Cairo "sought to facilitate Palestinian reconciliation for years, and similar other governments in the region are frustrated by the ineffective Palestinian leadership in Ramallah," led by Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas.

Stroul said that if Israel extends sovereignty, it could "expect angry statements and temporary damage to Egyptian-Israeli diplomatic relations."

While the peace agreement between the two countries "will not collapse the day after," the routine Egyptian-Israeli engagements "might be interrupted thereby damaging a pillar of Israel's security," she said. "Egyptian media will also speak out forcefully and in condemnation of annexation, but the government controls the press and can dial-up or dial-back the pressure."

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So "between the COVID-19 pandemic, the Egyptian health system's fragility and associated economic strains after years of reform measures to stabilize the economy, the war waging in Libya, active ISIS threat in the Sinai and Ethiopia on the verge of filling the Renaissance dam, el-Sissi has more than enough on his plate," summed up Stroul.

For all of these reasons, she stated, el-Sissi may have come to the realization that focusing on the application of Israeli sovereignty and the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is a lesser priority."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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As Egyptian authorities fight the swelling coronavirus outbreak, security agencies have tried to stifle criticism about the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's handling of the health crisis.

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At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested since the virus hit Egypt in February, according to rights groups. Other health workers say they have been warned by administrators to keep quiet or face punishment. One foreign correspondent has fled the country, fearing arrest, and another two have been reprimanded over "professional violations."

The coronavirus is surging in the country of 100 million, threatening to overwhelm hospitals. As of Monday, the Health Ministry recorded 76,253 infections, including 3,343 deaths – the highest death toll in the Arab world.

"Every day I go to work, I sacrifice myself and my whole family," said a doctor in greater Cairo, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, like all doctors interviewed for this story. "Then they arrest my colleagues to send us a message. I see no light on the horizon."

In 2013, el-Sissi, as defense minister, led the military's removal of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, after his brief rule sparked nationwide protests. Since, el-Sissi has stamped out dissent, jailing Islamist political opponents, secular activists, journalists, and even belly dancers.

Now the clampdown has extended to doctors who speak out about their working conditions.

A government press officer did not respond to requests for comment on the arrests of doctors and journalists.

In recent weeks, authorities have marshaled medical supplies to prepare for more patients. The military has set up field hospitals with 4,000 beds, scaled-up testing, and ordered companies to churn out face masks and other supplies.

But health workers are sounding the alarm on social media. Doctors say they are forced to purchase surgical masks with their meager salaries. Families plead for intensive care beds.

The pandemic has pushed the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, a non-political professional group, into a new role as the sole advocate for doctors' rights.

Last month, the union released a letter to the public prosecutor demanding the release of five doctors detained for expressing opinions about the virus response.

Another syndicate member, Mohamed el-Fawal, landed in jail last week, after demanding online that the prime minister apologize for comments that appeared to blame health workers for a spike in deaths.

Incensed doctors hit back, saying they're under-trained, underpaid and under-resourced, struggling to save patients. So far 117 doctors, 39 nurses, and 32 pharmacists have died from COVID-19, according to syndicate members' counts. Thousands have fallen ill.

Security forces shut down a syndicate press conference that was to respond to the prime minister's comments and discuss supply shortages, according to former leader Mona Mina.

"These doctors have no history of activism, they were arrested because they offered criticism of their very specific professional circumstances," said Amr Magdi of Human Rights Watch, which has confirmed the arrests of eight doctors and two pharmacists. Two have been released, he said, while the rest remain in pretrial detention.

In one case, security agents burst into the home of Hany Bakr, an ophthalmologist north of Cairo, according to his lawyer and Amnesty International, over his Facebook post that criticized the government for sending aid to Italy and China while Egypt's doctors were short of equipment.

In March, public prosecutors accused 26-year-old Alaa Shaaban Hamida of terrorism charges after she let a colleague call the government coronavirus hotline from her phone instead of first reporting the case to her managers, according to Amnesty International. Three months pregnant, she remains in pretrial detention.

Doctors in three provinces say administrators threatened to report them if they publicly expressed frustration toward authorities or failed to show up for work.

In one voice recording obtained by The Associated Press, a health deputy in a Nile Delta province can be heard saying, "Even if a doctor is dying, he must keep working … or be subjected to the most severe punishment."

A doctor in Cairo shared WhatsApp messages with the AP from his manager, alerting staff that their attendance was monitored by state security. In two other hospitals in the capital, workers retracted letters of collective resignation over working conditions for fear of reprisals.

The suppression of criticism in Egypt is hardly unusual, analysts say, but the government has become more jittery as the pandemic tests its capabilities and economy.

With borders shut and planes idled, Egypt's critical tourism revenue has vanished. Last week, fearing further economic fallout, the government reopened much of society and welcomed hundreds of international tourists to resorts, even as daily reported deaths exceeded 80.

"Because of Egypt's constant attention to its image as a place open for tourism, open for business, open for investment, authorities appear particularly sensitive to divergent perspectives during the pandemic," said Amy Hawthorne, an Egypt expert at the Project on Middle East Democracy.

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At least 15 individuals have been arrested for broadcasting "false news" about the pandemic, said the UN human rights office. Four Egyptian journalists who reported on the outbreak remain in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which has labeled Egypt among the world's worst jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China.

In March, Egypt expelled a reporter for The Guardian who cited a report disputing the official virus count. Egypt's state information body summoned The Washington Post and New York Times correspondents over their critical coverage during the pandemic.

Despite growing human rights abuses, the international community counts on Egypt as a bulwark against regional instability, said a Middle East-focused rights advocate at the UN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss policy matters.

"There is no appetite," the advocate said, "to address what is going on in Egypt let alone sanction them in any way for what the government is doing to their own people."

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Haftar's refusal thwarted, at least temporarily, an effort by Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to structure the ceasefire so it would align opposing Russian and Turkish interests, allow the two parties to cooperate in the exploitation of Libya's energy resources and protect a Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement creating an Exclusive Economic Zone that strengthens Russian-backed Turkish maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Putin-Erdoğan maneuvers are designed to thwart a Greek-Cypriot-Israeli agreement to build a pipeline that would supply gas to Europe, reducing European dependence on Russian gas in the process.

Critics charge that the Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement, which would limit Greek-Cypriot-Israeli access to hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean, violates the Law of the Sea.

Greece has warned that it will block EU backing for any Libyan peace deal as long as the Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement is in place. Haftar visited Greece, as well as other countries, following his rejection of the ceasefire and ahead of a conference on Libya hosted by Germany in Berlin on January 19.

Haftar's rejection came as Turkish troops arrived in Libya to bolster forces of the internationally recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, which are defending the capital, Tripoli, against an eight-month assault by Haftar's rebel Libyan National Army (LNA), which is backed by Russian mercenaries with close ties to the Kremlin, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Prince Muhammad's presence at the inauguration of the Egyptian naval base underlined the UAE's influence in Egypt. The UAE backed el-Sissi's 2013 military coup, which toppled the country's first and only democratically elected president, and is determined to counter Islamist forces as well as Turkish influence in Libya and the Horn of Africa.

UAE and Egyptian backing of Haftar is not just about countering jihadist and non-jihadist Islamists and Turkey but also Qatar, Turkey's ally, which also supports the Libyan rebels.

The UAE-Turkish-Qatari proxy war in Libya is also increasingly colored by Prince Muhammad and el-Sissi's opposition to efforts to resolve divisions among the Gulf states that spilled into the open with the declaration of a Saudi-UAE-led diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar in 2017.

Saudi Arabia has hinted in recent months that it might be amenable to an easing of the boycott, a move that is believed to be opposed by the UAE as long as Qatar does not make significant concessions on issues like freewheeling broadcaster Al Jazeera and support for political Islam.

The new naval base's location symbolizes Egypt's conundrum, which is also a problem for the UAE, at a time when Egypt is at odds with Ethiopia over the operation of a giant dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile.

Stepping up its involvement in Libya puts Egypt at risk of becoming embroiled in two conflicts at the same time.

Egypt claims the dam puts a million Egyptian jobs, $1.8 billion in annual economic output and electricity valued at $300 million at risk.

The base is aimed at "securing the country's southern coasts, protecting economic investments and natural resources and facing security threats in the Red Sea," according to a spokesman for el-Sissi.

The president has warned that Egypt would take all necessary measures to protect its rights to Nile waters.

So far, Egypt is banking on mediation to help it avoid being trapped between a rock and a hard place by achieving a ceasefire in Libya that would keep Egypt's hands free to deal with Ethiopia should a conflict erupt.

The question is whether Haftar – who, without signing the ceasefire agreement, reportedly told German officials that he would adhere to its terms – and the UAE are willing to play ball.

The proof will be in the pudding. German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the stakes by insisting in advance of the Berlin talks that they ensure "that the weapons embargo is adhered to again."

The United Nations has accused the UAE, together with several other countries, including Turkey, of violating the UN embargo.

As a result, it may be the UAE rather than Haftar that has a decisive voice in Berlin.

Said North Africa expert Ben Fishman: "Until Abu Dhabi pulls back its drones, operators and other crucial military support, the prospects for Libya's stability will remain dim. Besides the fact that they provide the greatest advantage to Haftar's forces, focusing on the Emiratis also makes sense because the other foreign players currently have reasons to de-escalate on their own."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

This article was first published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.

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Netanyahu made the remarks at an event marking Egypt's national day, hosted by the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Khaled Azmi at his residence.

"We're celebrating 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt. On the 40th year of our peace, we hope to achieve many other things between us and in our region. We have to understand the historic achievement of having this peace approach now the fifth decade," Netanyahu said. "It has had to weather some storms. It is weathering storms now. I don't mean between us, I mean a storm that is ravishing our region right now and seeks to impose on us an unforgiving, violent creed."

Video: Omer Meron/GPO

Netanyahu said both Egypt and Israel and "many others in the region" were united in the battle against extremism and terrorism in the region. He went on to tout the accomplishments the Egyptian government garnered in the fight to eradicate Islamic State and other terrorist groups.

"I want to commend my friend and colleague, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, for standing strong against this tide of extremism and terrorism, and I want to say that it's not obvious that it is possible in the face of so much and so many assaults to stand firm, but President el-Sissi and Egypt have stood firm, as has our peace. Our peace is the cornerstone, exactly as you said, of peace and stability in the region. We cannot imagine what our region would be without this peace."

Netanyahu said that he has been impressed by el-Sissi's policies and actions, saying his successful stewardship of the country was evident in their face-to-face encounters. Netanyahu said he was "impressed not only by his leadership but also by his wisdom" and added that he gleaned "insights about the nature of the challenge that we face" during those meetings.

"We cooperate in many areas that can increase the economic well-being of our two nations. There is now I think Israeli gas flowing into Egypt, an experimental effort. In four months, there'll be more," Netanyahu said.

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Netanyahu tweeted that the meeting focused on "regional developments," but did not elaborate.

Egypt has been instrumental is trying to broker a long-term cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, in an effort to prevent the recent security tensions on the volatile border from escalating into war.

Netanyahu and el-Sissi met in public for the first time in 2017 and Israeli media reported last month that they had held a secret summit in Egypt in May to discuss a truce in Gaza, which is under tight Israeli and Egyptian border restrictions.

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognize Israel under a 1979 peace treaty and the two countries maintain close coordination on security, as well as energy ties.

El-Sissi, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, urged the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, telling world leaders that the parameters that would ultimately shape the resolution to the regional conflict are based on the two-state solution.

He said that the failure of the United Nations to resolve this conflict was undermining its own vision.

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Thursday evening.

Egyptian officials said that at the meeting, el-Sissi "stressed the importance of resuming the negotiations between the two sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, to reach a just and a comprehensive solution based on a two-state solution and in accordance with the international treaties."

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