Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon 4 Tammuz and will attend a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the rescue at Entebbe being held Sunday evening at the Jerusalem Theater.

At the opening of the weekly Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the senior Egyptian official was arriving later in the day for “important” discussion. He is the highest ranking Egyptian official to arrive in Israel in a number of years. Mr. Netanyahu thanked his senior confidant, Yitzchak Molcho for contributing significantly to making the visit a reality.

According to Ynet, Foreign Minister Shoukry is coming at the behest of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss restarting the Israeli-PA (Palestinian Authority) talks.

They will also discuss Israel turning over recently-found debris believed to be from EgyptAir flight 804 along with common security concerns.

Shoukry met in Ramallah two weeks ago with PA Chairman Abu Mazen during which time the media stated he transferred an important message from al-Sisi to the PA leader.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)