Khaberni - An Israeli official told the "Times of Israel" that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi currently does not intend to meet the Israeli Prime Minister amid reports that Netanyahu is actively seeking to arrange this meeting.
The official explained that Egypt had sharply criticized Israel over the past months due to a number of unresolved issues, which reduces the chances of El-Sisi meeting with Netanyahu anytime soon, despite Tel Aviv and Washington's interest in arranging a summit between them, according to the newspaper.
During the Gaza war, Cairo warned Israel against any military operations that might push Palestinians south towards the Sinai Peninsula, considering this possibility a red line and a threat to national security.
The official added that Cairo remains concerned that Israel has not ruled out this effort as part of its plans to focus on the initial reconstruction projects in the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, on the Egyptian border.
Tensions have also escalated over the Rafah crossing, where Israel only allowed it open for Palestinians leaving Gaza, a policy described last week by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty as an attempt to reduce the population of the Strip, which Egypt vehemently rejected.
According to the "Times of Israel" report, relations between Netanyahu and El-Sisi have always been tense, and they have not spoken since before the war, indicating that while Netanyahu has sought to mend relations in recent months, El-Sisi showed little interest in communicating with the Israeli leader in the absence of what the official described as substantial changes in Israel's behavior towards Egypt.
The official added that El-Sisi also fears that Netanyahu might use him as a propaganda tool in the Israeli election year, according to his expression.
These statements came at a time when reports indicated that Netanyahu was working on arranging a visit to Cairo, where he hoped to meet El-Sisi and sign a deal worth $35 billion to supply Egypt with Israeli natural gas. According to a senior American diplomatic source familiar with the arrangements, Israeli officials are coordinating this effort with high-level American diplomats.
It is worth mentioning that Netanyahu had publicly visited Egypt twice before, under former President Hosni Mubarak, with the last official state visit taking place in January 2011. Other meetings were held secretly, according to the newspaper.
