Aviation first.. understandings to enhance trade exchange between Israel and Egypt

Occupied Jerusalem

- Israel is looking forward to operating flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Sharm el-Sheikh Airport in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, following the understandings reached between the two parties, in the context of developing and strengthening trade and economic relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

The official Israeli statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Economy showed that the rate of trade exchange between the two countries amounts to $270 million annually, as Israel exports to Egypt goods worth $150 million, while it imports from it $115 million.

These amounts do not include trade cooperation between the two countries in the energy and gas sector, and free trade zone agreements with the United States of America, as Cairo and Tel Aviv are working to expand the circle of free trade with Washington.

And in the context of consolidating economic, trade and tourism relations between the two countries, Israel Today newspaper reported that the understandings to activate the flight line from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to Sharm el-Sheikh were reached after the talks that brought together an Egyptian security delegation and its Israeli counterpart over two days in Tel Aviv. .

The Cairo delegation for special discussions was headed by Major General Ayman Badie, Deputy Minister of the Egyptian Intelligence Service, accompanied by many Egyptian businessmen, while the Israeli delegation was headed by Yair Pines, who holds the position of Director of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, with the participation of delegates from the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv and many businessmen.

The newspaper quoted the director of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office as saying that "the talks constitute a fundamental and essential aspect for consolidating and strengthening trade and economic relations with Egypt," noting that strengthening trade relations will bring political and diplomatic benefit.

The Israeli newspaper stated that the intensive talks aimed at promoting economic relations and expanding the circle of trade exchange between the two countries, in implementation of the instructions of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and their desire to strengthen trade relations and increase import and export between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (center) meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Cairo (communication sites)

warm peace

These economic understandings establish a new phase following what the newspaper described as the "cold peace", which has characterized relations between Tel Aviv and Cairo since the signing of the Camp David agreement.

Last June, an agreement was reached between Egyptian and Israeli airlines, according to which the Egyptian airline will operate flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Sharm el-Sheikh, but this agreement did not receive final approval and licenses by the Israeli security establishment at the time.

According to the agreement that will come into effect - when the licenses are completed from the Israeli Ministry of Security - the value of the round trip flight ticket will be $370, and tourist offers will be presented for 3 days;

Includes airfare and overnight stay in 4 star hotels.

As part of Cairo and Tel Aviv's efforts to move to a "warm peace", as revealed by the Israeli newspaper, Egypt has sent Israel in recent months many messages expressing its desire and aspiration to develop and strengthen economic and trade relations with Israel.

The newspaper quoted the head of the Egyptian delegation as saying that "his country is interested in exporting Egyptian products to Israel, as well as importing Israeli products from various branches and fields and selling them in the Egyptian market."

In addition to the understandings between the two countries to activate the Sharm el-Sheikh flight line, it was agreed, after the talks in Tel Aviv, to modernize the "Nitzana" border crossing, which was opened in 1982, and is a major land crossing between Israel and Egypt through the Sinai to transport goods.

The crossing was used in the early years of the peace between the two countries for the movement of vehicles and travelers, but it turned into a commercial crossing.

Following the agreement, the operations of transporting products and goods in large quantities will be expanded.

In addition, the talks that took place in Tel Aviv between the delegations of the two countries dealt with strengthening and expanding tourism relations, as Cairo expressed its great interest in bringing Israeli tourists back to Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh, as the security conditions that prevailed in the Sinai Peninsula in recent years prevented the arrival of Jewish tourists.

The talks between Cairo and Tel Aviv also led to an agreement to form a joint economic committee between the two countries that includes groups from the private economic and commercial sectors, and one of its main tasks will be to remove obstacles and overcome barriers that prevent the development of economic relations and the expansion of trade exchange between the two countries.