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by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised his cabinet on Sunday in Jerusalem by announcing that Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry would be visiting the country within hours of the announcement.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 and thus recognize the Jewish state. But the relations can often be defined as cold and correct at best.
It was the first such visit since 2007 as relations between the two countries have been rocky.
Recently, however, Israel and Egypt have become allies -- a merging of interests between the two countries has brought them closer together.
According to Eran Singer, an Arab Affairs correspondent for Israeli Radio station Reshet Bet, "the visit attests to the deepening of relations between Israel and Egypt."
Last time the two parties held negotiations was over two years ago. Violence between Israelis and Palestinians has been on the rise in recent months with casualties on both sides.
Speaking at the beginning of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the visit "is important in many ways," adding that "it shows the change in relations between Israel and Egypt, including Sisi's (Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi) important call to advance the peace process with the Palestinians and with Arab states."
Netanyahu was referring to Sisi's statement two months ago in which he called on Israel to engage in the peace process and said Egypt would go to great lengths to help.
Both Sisi and Shoukry have said that they are willing to promote the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative based on Israel's withdrawing from territories it captured in the 1967 Mideast War. In return, Arab countries will normalize their relations with the Jewish state.
Netanyahu has said several times he is willing to consider the initiative as a basis for a solution.
In his cabinet announcement earlier this morning, he made a subtle reference to the matter when he said the peace process related to both the Palestinians and the Arab states.
The Israeli prime minster has recently expanded his coalition. This gives him more maneuvering space to make a political move vis-a-vis the Palestinians without risking his political future.
Shoukry will most likely try to promote confidence building measures between the two sides as trust is at an all time low.
Israel has continued to maintain and expand its settlements in the West Bank in lands that Palestinians believe are part of their future state. The Palestinian leadership has continued to promote diplomatic moves that will corner and isolate Israel in the international arena.
In statements made by Netanyahu and Shoukry before the meeting, both politicians spoke about the need to revive the peace process.
Shoukry said Egypt is committed "to supporting a just, comprehensive and a sustainable resolution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the Egyptian leadership is serious in its determination to provide all possible forms of support in order to achieve this noble goal."
There is plenty of work to be done by the Egyptians before the two sides will be willing to sit in front of each other at the same table.
According to Singer, both the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah led by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli leadership in Jerusalem see Egypt as an honest broker.
"Egypt wants very much to be part of the solution," said Singer, adding moves like these "might lead to a change in atmosphere which may eventually lead to a solution."
Sisi has credit on both sides -- he has championed the Palestinian cause of an independent state on the 1967 borders but has also said Israel's security must be guaranteed.
Egypt and Israel share mutual interests that safeguard their allegiance so long as both leaders remain in power.
Without those interests, the visit would not have been able to have occurred.
Both Israel and Egypt want to see the Islamic State (IS) activity in the Sinai desert curbed. The two countries also share a border with the Gaza Strip currently controlled by the militant Hamas organization -- neither Israel nor Egypt recognizes the regime and both are doing their utmost to isolate the territory.
The recent rapprochement between Israel and Turkey and Turkey's self-portrayal as the sole savior of the Gaza Strip is not ideal for Egypt.
Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, wants to be seen as a protector of Palestinian rights.
However, a potential alliance between Israel, Turkey and Egypt would create "a new coalition that may be able to deal with the Iranian threat to the region and IS," according to Singer.
Israel is wary over Iranian involvement in neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon.
Israel, which is increasingly finding itself isolated in the international arena, is looking for ways to improve its standing in the region.
Still the Israeli premier is resistant to international intervention in the conflict and says he prefers direct negotiations.
"Today I call again on the Palestinians to follow the courageous examples of Egypt and Jordan and join us for direct negotiations. This is the only way we can address all the outstanding problems between us and turn the vision of peace based on two-states for two peoples into a reality," Netanyahu said.
He was referring to the only two successful negotiations that Israel held with Egypt and Jordan that led to formal peace.
The Egyptian push for peace comes with a French initiative to revive the all but dead peace talks. Israel has so far not cooperated with the effort.
The Palestinian news agency Ma'an quoted Egyptian sources saying the visit by Shoukry was in preparation for a visit by Netanyahu to Egypt. This has yet to be confirmed by either side and would indeed be groundbreaking in recent years. Enditem
