Mar 22, 2022 - World

Egyptian, Israeli and Emirati leaders hold unprecedented summit

Barak Ravid

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed held a trilateral summit in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.

Why it matters: The unprecedented meeting is the most significant diplomatic engagement between Israeli and regional leaders since the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, was brokered in 2020 by the Trump administration.

Driving the news: Al-Sisi, Bennett and bin Zayed met for several hours and discussed the implications of the war in Ukraine on the region, including on energy security, the food supply and the stability of global markets, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Bennett and bin Zayed released very similar statements saying the three leaders discussed developments in the region and world.
On Monday, Bennett and bin Zayed held separate bilateral meetings with the Egyptian president.

Behind the scenes: The summit has been in the works since Bennett’s visit to Abu Dhabi in December, but the final date was set last Thursday, according to an Israeli official. The summit wasn’t announced in advance.

On Monday afternoon, Bennett traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh and shortly before he landed, the Emirati news agency reported that bin Zayed landed there too.

Shortly after, Israeli officials confirmed unofficially that the trilateral summit was taking place on Tuesday.

Worth noting: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict wasn’t mentioned in the public statements about the summit. Usually this is a key element in any public statement regarding such a meeting.

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Egyptian, Israeli and Emirati leaders hold unprecedented summit

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