Israeli PM Prevents Gantz from Meeting Jordanian King in Ramallah

Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett (L) and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim airbase in southern Israel, June 24, 2021. (AFP)
Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett (L) and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim airbase in southern Israel, June 24, 2021. (AFP)
TT
20

Israeli PM Prevents Gantz from Meeting Jordanian King in Ramallah

Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett (L) and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim airbase in southern Israel, June 24, 2021. (AFP)
Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett (L) and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim airbase in southern Israel, June 24, 2021. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has barred Defense Minister Benny Gantz from attending a meeting in Ramallah on Monday between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II so as not to divert attention from the Negev summit, a political source in Tel Aviv said.

The foreign ministers of Israel, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt are scheduled to meet in the Negev Desert on Tuesday.

The meeting is being described as "historic" because it will bring together Arab countries which have normalized relations with Israel.

Media reports said last week that Gantz was due to take part in this week’s Abbas-Abdullah II meeting to discuss efforts to prevent an escalation in violence during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in early April.

However, the sources said Bennett thought that Gantz’s attendance would overshadow the historic meeting with Arab leaders in the Negev desert. Relations between the Israeli officials are already strained.

"The Negev meeting is rare and unique and has never happened before. It is historic and therefore the prime minister wants to guarantee it is not overshadowed by any other event," the same source said.

However, other political sources said Bennett took the decision when he found out about the meeting from an "Arab source" instead of the minister himself, in what he believed was an attempt to undermine his authority.

He feared that the meeting would come up with political statements that are not supported by the right-wing parties in government.

However, despite Bennett’s opposition, political sources in Ramallah said King Abdullah is keen on Gantz attending the meeting.

The sources said Jordanian Prime Minister Ayman al-Safadi might attend the Negev Summit on condition that his Palestinian counterpart, Riad al-Maliki, join too.

"This proposal is not welcomed by Bennett who does not want to bring the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict back to the forefront," the sources added.



Sisi, Putin Stress Importance of Restoring Stability in Gaza

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP)
TT
20

Sisi, Putin Stress Importance of Restoring Stability in Gaza

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stressed on Friday the importance of restoring calm in the Middle East, especially Gaza.

The officials met in Moscow on the sidelines of Russia’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Sisi underlined the importance of reaching a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders, said an Egyptian presidency statement.

Putin, for his part, expressed Russia’s support for Egypt’s efforts to restore calm in the region and rebuild Gaza.

Discussions between the leaders also covered the situations in Syria, Libya and Sudan, as well as the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Sisi reiterated Egypt’s position in support of diplomacy to resolve international crises, said the presidency.

Moreover, Sisi and Putin underlined their determination to bolster cooperation in the fields of energy, food security, mining, agriculture and industry. They also agreed on the importance of raising the number of Russian tourists heading to Egypt.