Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry invited Ashkenazi to discuss the ceasefire as well as bilateral ties between their countries.The ministers discussed ways to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza without the resources sent to the coastal enclave helping Hamas rebuild itself militarily.Egypt plays an important role because of its border with Gaza, Ashkenazi told Shoukry.In addition, he emphasized that Gaza’s fate depends on Hamas returning two soldiers they have held since 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin and St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, and two civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.“We will not allow a situation in which the rebuilding of Gaza lets Hamas rebuild its terrorist capabilities and without solving the issue of returning the captives and MIAs,” Ashkenazi said.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has pledged $500 million to help reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.Ashkenazi and Shoukry agreed on the importance of strengthening the Palestinian Authority at the expense of Hamas.“The continued incitement by the PA and their actions in international institutions,” such as their war-crimes suit against Israel in the International Criminal Court, “are a significant obstacle to diplomatic talks and trust-building steps in the field,” Ashkenazi said.During the meeting with Shoukry, Ashkenazi expressed appreciation for Egypt’s historic role as the first Arab state to make peace with Israel and its commitment to regional stability.“Operation Guardian of the Walls and the expansion of the circle of countries with which Israel has peace agreements created an opportunity to strengthen relations and cooperation between Israel and Arab states,” he said. “We must all act to stop any attempt by terrorist organizations and extremists, such as Iran and its proxies, to harm regional stability.”The openness of Ashkenazi’s visit was a marked change from the recent past. Egypt mediated past ceasefires between Israel and Hamas as well, but it kept their role much quieter than this time. Israeli officials involved in the talks went to Cairo secretly, and information of their visit generally leaked to the press after the fact.That there was an atmosphere of excitement in the visit, and that Egyptian officials decided to make Ashkenazi’s visit open, “shows there is a change in their understanding and that they want to be more central partners in what is happening in the region,” a source involved in the talks said.A press opportunity for Shoukry and Ashkenazi was packed with journalists, indicating that the meeting was seen as “a historic moment” in Egypt, the source said, adding that it was a continuation of a new openness that began with a press conference between Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo earlier this year.“They really think there’s an opportunity to strengthen relations and cooperation,” the source said of the Egyptian government. “Shoukry agreed that it is time for the circle of peace [with Israel] to be broadened to more countries, that peace is strategic for regional stability, and we need to make sure extremist factors do not rise in influence.”Regarding Iran, while Israeli and Egyptian views are not totally aligned, the Egyptians expressed concern about the destabilizing impact of Tehran’s aggression and use of proxies in the region, the source said.The head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS), Abbas Kamel, arrived in Israel as Ashkenazi departed on Sunday.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought up Israel’s demand to return the captives in his meeting with Kamel.They discussed cooperation between the countries on regional matters and how to prevent Hamas from rearming itself and stop humanitarian aid from being diverted to help the terrorist group.Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen and National Security Council Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat also participated in the meeting and held separate meetings with Kamel.Egypt and Israel share an interest in combating the Muslim Brotherhood, with which Hamas is affiliated, Cohen said.Egypt’s first and only democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood and led the country in 2012-2013. During that time he gave himself unlimited powers and instituted a new constitution that made Islamic law the main source of Egypt’s laws.Kamel plans to visit the Gaza Strip on Monday as part of Cairo’s ongoing efforts to maintain the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.He is also scheduled to visit Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA officials concerning Egypt’s initiative to contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the recent conflict, the Egyptian sources told the New Arab news website.Sunday’s Cairo talks and Kamal’s anticipated Gaza visit followed a week of intense US regional diplomacy in which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Egypt. He also spoke with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.Separately, Shoukry held meetings with his Jordanian and Qatari counterparts in recent days.1/2תודה על הזמנתך, סאמח שוכרי, שה"ח של מצרים, לביקור רשמי ראשון של שר חוץ ישראלי מזה 13 שנים. pic.twitter.com/i3zIiUJavg
— גבי אשכנזי - Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) May 30, 2021
Ashkenazi lands in Egypt in first Foreign Minister visit in 13 years
Ashkenazi’s visit comes as Egypt advances a formal, long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following the 11-day exchange of fire that ended on May 21 with mediation from Cairo.
