Egypt's Sisi hosts UAE, Israeli leaders for historic summit

CAIRO — Egypt hosted the Israeli and UAE leaders for unprecedented three-way talks on Tuesday as the Ukraine war rocks energy and food markets and major powers inch towards a revived Iran nuclear deal.

The summit was held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

It comes nearly a month after Russia invaded Ukraine in a move that sparked concerns about security and sent prices of oil, wheat and other key commodities soaring.

Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are allies of the United States but they have so far avoided taking positions against Russia over its war on Ukraine.

It was the first summit of its kind, and signalled "a new doctrine" of regional diplomacy championed by the UAE, said Mustafa Kamel Al Sayyid, a professor of political science at Cairo University.

Bennett and Sheikh Mohammed had arrived in Egypt on Monday.

At their meeting on Tuesday, the three leaders discussed "energy, market stability, and food security," Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Radi said.

Israeli media said the leaders would also discuss reports that Iran and Western powers, including the United States, are close to a deal to revive the 2015 nuclear accord.

Bennett is vehemently opposed to the deal which is designed to prevent Israel's arch foe Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb, a goal the Islamic republic has always denied.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, after decades of enmity and conflict.

In 2020, the UAE became the third Arab country to forge diplomatic ties with Israel, under a series of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.

“The UAE is interested in exporting the framework of the Abraham Accords to the rest of the Middle East,” Sayyid told AFP, adding the accords addressed more than “just security ties”.

For Sayyid, Tuesday’s meeting was the real-world application of this approach.

The official Emirati news agency WAM said Tuesday’s meeting “discussed ways of enhancing relations between the three countries”.

It also addressed “the importance of cooperation and coordination to drive development and enhance stability in the region, as well as bolstering global energy security and market stability”.

The three leaders also “exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual concern and relevant developments”, said WAM.