Discussions With Egypt, Israeli Foreign Minister Wants To Establish A Permanent Truce With Hamas

Illustration of Palestinian children with Israeli soldiers at the border. (Wikimedia Commons/Harry Pockets)

JAKARTA - For the first time in 13 years, the Israeli Foreign Minister visited Egypt in an effort to build peace efforts to end the dispute with the Palestinian militant Hamas.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday 30 May in Cairo. In addition to ending the armed conflict, a number of things were also discussed by the two officials.

Egypt helped to mediate May 21 ceasefire to stop the worst fighting in years between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza. And work with the United States and regional partners to expand into a more permanent ceasefire.

In a meeting with Gabi Ashkenazi this time, Sameh Shoukry emphasized the need to take into account special sensitivities related to East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and all Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan have helped fuel conflict between the two sides this month.

"Egypt reiterates its call to create a suitable atmosphere for reviving talks between Israel and the Palestinians, with the aim of reaching a two-state solution," the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ashkenazi said he would discuss with Egyptian officials a permanent ceasefire with Hamas, along with ways to help rebuild the Gaza Strip.

Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in Jerusalem. Netanyahu said his meeting discussed regional security issues, as well as ways to prevent Hamas from extracting civilian aid to strengthen its capabilities.

Palestinian officials have set the reconstruction costs in the tens of millions of dollars from the Israeli offensive on Gaza, where medical officials say 248 people died during 11 days of fighting. Israel is also repairing damage caused by Palestinian rockets and missiles, which killed 13 people in Israel.

Apart from Netanyahu, during this visit Kamel also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, conveying a message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirming Egypt's support for Palestine and Abbas, state news agency MENA said.

Both Netanyahu and Ashkenazi underlined that Israel's main goal is to secure the return of two Israeli civilians and two soldiers detained for years in Gaza by Hamas.

In his post on Twitter after the meeting, Ashkenazi called Egypt an important regional ally for peace in the Middle East region.

"We all need to act to prevent the strengthening of extremist elements that threaten regional stability, and to ensure the repatriation of missing persons and detainees held by Hamas," he wrote.

Launching MENA, President Sisi directed Egyptian officials to continue efforts and meetings to resolve the issue of prisoners and missing persons between Israel and Hamas, Sunday 30 May.

Egypt's work to broker and secure a ceasefire has thrust it into the diplomatic spotlight, prompting top-level re-engagement from Washington and overshadowing steps by some Arab states to normalize relations with Israel.