Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Egypt on Monday for his first trip abroad since taking office in late March, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.
Israeli government officials said the upcoming trip is a symbolic move designed to signal the importance Netanyahu places on relations with Cairo and moderates in the Arab world, Xinhua reported.
As an Israeli official put it, that Netanyahu is visiting Egypt even before he goes to the United States, where he will travel on May 17, shows how important he feels the ties with Egypt are.
Egyptian-Israeli relations were strained earlier in the year by the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as Israel's foreign minister, who has sour relations with the Arab country.
The Israeli government official further said the meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh would also show the importance Israel attaches to the involvement of moderate Arab countries in the peace process, as well as in containing Iran and its local proxies Hezbollah and Hamas.
Israel would like to see Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia play a greater role in the peace process, as well as in pushing back against Iranian efforts to make further inroads in the region, added the official.
Netanyahu believes that while the Iranian threat is a very serious challenge, it also provides an opportunity because Iran does not just threaten Israel, it is also a direct threat to the region, according to the official.
As such, the Iranian threat has created the possibility of enhanced cooperation and dialogue between Israel and its neighbors, "something that ultimately could be very significant in building peace."
Israel's National Security Council head Uzi Arad was in Egypt earlier in the week to prepare for the upcoming meeting, said the report.
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