Cairo: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his visit to the North African country of Egypt.
According to the report, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted the Israeli prime minister at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he discussed "efforts to restore the peace process" between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said security co-operation between the two countries was also discussed during the meeting, which was attended by Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamil and Israel's national security adviser Ayal Holata.
It should be noted that Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, was the first Arab state to sign a peace agreement with Israel in 1979 after decades of hostility.
In May, it played a key role in a ceasefire after 11 days of bloody tensions between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Egypt maintains strong diplomatic, security and economic ties with Israel and regularly hosts Palestinian Authority leaders led by Hamas as well as its political rival Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lipid on Sunday proposed building new infrastructure in exchange for improving living conditions in Gaza and ending the fight against Hamas, aimed at resolving an "unending era of violence." ۔
"This will not happen without the help and involvement of our Egyptian partners and their ability to talk to everyone involved," he said.
Naftali Bennett's visit comes 10 days after Mahmoud Abbas met with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
Cairo-based analyst Niall Shama said the meeting was "an important step in light of the growing security and economic ties between the two countries and their mutual concern over the situation in Gaza."
He added that the meeting was part of "Egypt's plans to resume political talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority."
It should be noted that the last meeting between an Egyptian president and an Israeli prime minister took place in January 2011 when Hosni Mubarak received Netanyahu a few weeks before he was ousted in a popular revolution.
The ensuing political turmoil has soured relations between the two countries since protests erupted outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo in 2011.
