Israeli minister says Sisi’s welcoming gesture shows ties are opening
A spokesman for Energy Minister Karine Elharrar says Israelis were right to rejoice at the warm welcome Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi extended to her at the Egyptian Oil Fair in Cairo .
“With the president speaking to the minister, the fact that he said he was happy that she came and invited her back is super exciting and speaks to the fact that links that were once secret have become public,” the spokesperson said, adding that the display was not fully planned.
This is the first time that Israel has been invited to the major regional gas conference, which has met four times before, according to the Elharrar spokesman. Most Egyptians reject normalization with Israel despite a peace treaty between the countries.
Elharrar says Israel’s energy industry is “a bridge for regional ties”, in comments picked up by Ynet.
According to the news site, Elharrar told the conference that Israeli gas would eventually reach Lebanon, via Egypt.
On Twitter, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett joins the crush of Israelis praising the authoritarian leader for his gesture towards the Israeli minister, saying he “touched us all”.
President al-Sissi, you have touched us all. https://t.co/1kYBZgznEx
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) February 14, 2022
