On Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid made a phone call to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which they discussed the ceasefire in Gaza and the Palestinian situation more broadly, as well as “promoting and developing normalization” between Israel and the countries of the region, according to two statements from the Israeli Prime Minister and the Egyptian presidency.
The Egyptian presidency statement stated that Lapid expressed “high appreciation for the successful mediation role played by Egypt during the past few days, led by Sisi, to reach a quick ceasefire, and to stabilize and restore calm in the Gaza Strip, which consolidates Egypt’s role as a fundamental pillar of stability in the Middle East.”
Sisi pointed out that Egypt “has made unremitting and focused efforts and endeavors to contain the situation on the ground and to prevent the expansion of the confrontation and the increase in military actions.”
“There is great importance to build on the current calm and block any attempt to tense the situation, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, to take immediate steps to improve the living situation in the Gaza Strip to alleviate the deteriorating conditions in it, to speed up the improvement of economic relations with the Palestinian Authority, and to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,” according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.
Sisi affirmed that Egypt “looks forward to renewing the hope of the Palestinian people in achieving the desired peace and obtaining their legitimate rights according to international references, which imposes the inevitability of ending the cycle of violence and repeated escalation in an effort to open the door to opportunities and efforts for settlement and achieving stability and calm in preparation for launching the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.”
At the same time, Lapid thanked Sisi for his “tireless work” towards achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Lapid said Egypt “plays a very pivotal role” in maintaining stability and security in the region.
Lapid’s statement added that the two leaders “talked about the importance of promoting and developing normalization between Israel and the countries of the region, and the importance of dialogue for achieving stability in the region.” They also discussed “important humanitarian issues for the two countries and the continuation of economic cooperation.”
