Axios: Washington Seeks to Mediate Summit Between Netanyahu and Sisi, Conditional on Strategic Gas Deal

US news site Axios reported that the White House is eager to mediate a summit between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Conditions and US Objectives:

• Summit Condition: Axios cited US and Israeli sources saying the meeting is conditional on Netanyahu first agreeing to a strategic gas deal with Egypt, along with taking other steps to encourage Sisi to meet.

• Strategic Goal: The United States aims, through this "economic diplomacy," to improve and warm relations between Israel and Arab states.

• Mutual Benefit: A US official said that selling gas to Egypt is a "great opportunity for Israel" that will create interdependence, provide "warmer peace," and help prevent war.

• Summit Preparation: An Israeli source and a US official revealed that Netanyahu recently formed a team quietly working to prepare "concrete economic outputs" for the potential summit with Sisi.