Egyptian Leader Honors Israeli Minister in Cairo Conference

In an extraordinary gesture, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi gave a personal welcome to Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar in a convention hall in Cairo on Monday.

In footage of the event, Sissi is seen entering the plush venue, and promptly after a very brief greeting to the audience at the microphone, walked over to where Elharrar was seated to say a few words to her.

The gesture was in marked contrast to Elharrar’s treatment at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, where the minister, who uses a wheelchair, was denied entrance to the main hall due to a lack of access for the disabled. The incident caused an uproar, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett escorted her to the conference room on the second day, amid apologies from the event organizers.

Sissi’s greeting was noted with enthusiasm in Israel. PM Bennett tweeted that his gesture “touched us all.”

Israeli journalists praised the Egyptian president.

Walla reporter Barak Ravid, called it “amazing.”

“Joyful, exciting and not a coincidence,” former Channel 10 news analyst Nadav Perry tweeted.

Roi Kais, a correspondent for Kan, described Sissi as “an officer and a gentleman.”

A spokesperson for Elharrar said: “The president approaching the minister, the fact that he said he is happy she came and invited her to return is super exciting and testifies to the fact that ties that were once under wraps have become public,” adding that it was not totally expected.

This is the first time Israel has been invited to the Egyptian Petroleum Show in Cairo, which has met four times before, according to Elharrar’s spokesperson.