A spokesman for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi published a statement on Sunday night, following the President’s phone call with Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
The Spokesman for the Presidency said Lapid “extended greetings to President Al-Sisi on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. For his part, President Al-Sisi congratulated Prime Minister Lapid on assuming the duties of his new post.”
“On the peace process, views were exchanged on the latest developments in the Palestinian issue. The two sides agreed to work on arranging bilateral and multilateral meetings including Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian President during the coming period in order to revitalize peace negotiations,” the statement said.
“The Israeli Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts, led by President El-Sisi, to achieve security, stability and cooperation in the region. President El-Sisi reiterated that Egypt will continue its efforts to achieve just and comprehensive peace, based on the two-state solution and references of international legitimacy, opening up prospects for cooperation and development for all the peoples of the region. The President confirmed the need to sustain calm in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of providing assistance to the Palestinian Authority in all areas, particularly in the economic field,” said the Egyptian spokesman.
“The call also tackled issues pertinent to bilateral relations between the two countries. The two sides agreed that the Israeli authorities conduct a full and transparent investigation into Israeli press reports with regard to historical events that occurred in the 1967 war on the Egyptian soldiers buried in Jerusalem. Mr. Lapid confirmed that Israel will deal with this matter in a positive and transparent manner, and that it will communicate and coordinate with the Egyptian authorities regarding developments in the matter in order to get to the truth,” the statement concluded.
Lapid’s office said earlier that during the conversation with Al-Sisi, “The President wished the Prime Minister success in his new role and noted their recent meeting in Cairo in which the two discussed a wide range of topics.”
“The two leaders discussed bilateral and regional matters, and emphasized the importance of the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel which laid the foundation for the countries’ strategic relations and is a central pillar of regional stability. The two expressed their commitment to continuing to develop relations, including in the economic sphere,” the Prime Minister’s office said.
“The two also discussed President Biden’s upcoming visit to the region this week. They also noted the Palestinian issue and the need for calm.”
The Egyptian President has in the past urged Israelis and Palestinian Arabs to seize what he said was a "real opportunity" for peace and hailed his own country's peace deal with Israel. He repeated his call for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the PA in September of 2018.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Al-Sisi held a meeting this past September, which focused on a range of regional security issues, including the Iranian nuclear threat and regional aggression, Turkey's role in the conflict in Libya, the crisis between Egypt and Ethiopia, and dealing with terrorists in the region.
The two also discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and efforts to pressure the Hamas terrorist organization through tightened supervision at the Rafah crossing and efforts to return the Israelis held captive by Hamas.
In addition, Bennett and Al-Sisi discussed economic ties between Israel and Egypt, including the expansion of the volume of trade between the two countries as well as the volume of tourism.