Israel Foreign Ministry Director-General Dr. Dore Gold made a visit to Cairo to discuss possibilities to jumpstart the stalled diplomatic process with the PA (Palestinian Authority). The meeting followed a diplomatic gesture by Cairo, appointing its first ambassador to Israel since 2012. On Israel’s part, Gold’s visit was the first of a ministry director-general since 2011, during the Mubarak administration.

Egypt has often acted in the capacity of a third-party negotiator between Israel and the PA. Egypt also played a role in negotiating an agreement with Hamas to end the 2014 counter-terrorism offensive against Hamas in Gaza known as Operation Protective Edge.

In Israel, ministry officials played down the significance of the visit, calling it routine following Cairo’s decision to appoint an ambassador.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)