Sisi to Fox News: 50 states may reconcile with Israel if Palestinian cause solved

CAIRO – 22 September 2017: In the second part of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s interview with U.S. television channel Fox News on Tuesday about Middle East peace plans, Sisi called for a solution to be reached where both Israeli citizens’ and Palestinian citizens’ safety, security and well-being are preserved.

He stated that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will open a new horizon of coexistence, openness and interaction with Israel, adding that fifty Islamic and Arab countries will have embassies with Israel and open their borders to Israelis.

When asked by Fox News anchor Sean Hannity if there could be another Camp David Accord between Israel and Arab states, Sisi stated that the role of Arab states is to highlight all positive points of peace and also to “give reassurances to accommodate the concerns of the parties concerned with peace.”

“For example, I understand and appreciate that Israelis have security concerns with respect to their safety and security. I agree with these concerns,” he added.
The Egyptian president ended his interview by calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to take opportunity to solve the issue of the century.

Furthermore, Sisi expressed his admiration of Trump’s personality, stating that he anticipates his success not only in the elections, but also in leading the United States in the full meaning of the term.

“President Trump is writing the history of the world and for the U.S., and we should help him do that,” he said.

Asked about the new U.S. policy towards Egypt under the new U.S. president, Sisi answered, “You need to look at the outcomes that happened in the region, without mentioning certain policies or persons throughout the last ten years…and all the consequences on stability in the region and worldwide.”

Earlier, President Sisi called on the Israelis and Palestinians to trust their leaderships and take the peace between Egypt and Israel as an example to follow. He also urged the Palestinians to unite in his Tuesday speech at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

He emphasized that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is at the core of achieving security in the region. Sisi addressed Palestinians about the importance of believing in statehood alongside an Israeli state.

Egypt brokered a Palestinian national reconciliation government this week, which will take over the authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where the latter had been controlled by Hamas since 2007.
Cairo hopes the new Palestinian government will engage in peace negotiations with Israel, as Sisi has already tackled the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During his speech at the UNGA, Sisi said, “Is it possible that 1.6 billon people should want to wipe out the rest of the world and think that they would make it alive on their own! Impossible.”

Asked for further elaboration during the Fox News interview, Sisi said that he was talking about the misconceptions and ideas adopted by some people that led to wide-scale extremism, adding, “I reiterated the significance of revolutionizing the religious speech and consequently filtering the misconceptions and misinterpretations [in Islam].”

Prior to the interview, Sisi addressed the United Nations General Assembly, where he confirmed Egypt’s sincere commitment to the U.N. values, as well as its continuous war against terrorism and radicalism.