Prime Minister Netanyahu and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry meeting in Jerusalem,
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry meeting in Jerusalem,Photo: GPO
When asked by a high school student why Israel and the US aren't considered terror organizations for their militaristic activities in the region, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel's policies toward Palestinians don't amount to "terrorism."

“There is no conclusive [proof] leading to that conclusion,” he said.

“You can look at it from the perspective of a regime of force, but [looked at from a more traditional understanding] there is no evidence showing a link between Israel and armed terrorist groups,” Shoukry told students visiting the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo.

Sunday's tacit breakthrough of the Middle East standard of condemning Israel is a sign of warming ties between the two neighbors, who have been coordinating their treatment of Gaza and ISIS-backed Sinai terrorism for several years.

In a rare sign of cooperation, Shoukry visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in July.

Although Israeli media appreciated the remark, Hamas did not share the sentiment.

Senior Hamas spokesman Husam Badran tweeted that “Someone who doesn’t see in the crimes of the Zionist occupation terrorism is blind,”