Egypt has returned to its traditional role as interlocutor of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Egypt has returned to its traditional role as interlocutor of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with its Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement, writes Uri Savir for Al Monitor. The reconciliation agreement is believed by senior Egyptian diplomats who spoke to the outlet to be part of a wider Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative grounded in a two-state solution being spearheaded by Egypt and endorsed by the US. The initiative would see the Arab League declare its willingness to engage with Israel on the basis of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and recognize the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as a single territory. The US would then convene a peace conference. “A senior Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity vehemently rejected all components of such a plan,” says Savir.