Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) in New Alamein City, Egypt, for what the UAE called a “fraternal” visit.
This is an important visit because it comes as Egypt continues to hope that the Israel-Hamas War will end. In addition, Egypt continues to face pressure by some voices who call for Cairo to take in Gazans or do more for Gaza.
MBZ and Sisi “engaged in cordial conversation, underscoring the deep-rooted and historical relations between the two countries,” Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Sisi accompanied MBZ to the airport to see him leave “at the conclusion of His Highness’s fraternal visit to Egypt,” Egyptian state media reported Thursday. The Egyptian Presidential Office said: “The visit aimed to strengthen the bonds between the two brotherly leaders and emphasize the significance of their ongoing consultations and mutual coordination to serve the interests of the two peoples and enhance security and stability in the region.”
Al Ain News, a UAE-based news site, said the visit was a “pivotal and strategic” meeting. The report concentrated on Egyptian media coverage and said the meeting had received a lot of coverage.
This is important for the UAE, which wants to see that it has clout in the region. “According to the Middle East News Agency, this visit marked a strategic milestone, revealing profound political dimensions and extremely important implications in its timing and content,” Al Ain News reported.
The two countries aim to be 'pivotal players' in the future of the Middle East
Al Ain News examined the visit through the lens of the broader Arab world and also mentioned the Palestinian cause.
“The coverage highlighted the two countries’ shared visions regarding the situation in Gaza and the need to strengthen joint Arab efforts to de-escalate tensions and achieve stability,” it reported. The king of Jordan made similar comments on a visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, this week.
Clearly, most of the Arab countries are saying the same thing, including the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, which all have peace ties with Israel. They want de-escalation.
The Trump administration is also working toward a peaceful outcome by the end of the year, according to reports. Washington will be hearing this messaging from Cairo, Abu Dhabi, and Amman, and other countries.
The UAE has been stepping up humanitarian support for Gaza. It has carried out airdrops and sent a ship a month ago to support Operation Gallant Knight 3, which is the name for the support of Gaza. As such, the UAE is taking a keen interest in what happens next.
A Palestinian force is being trained in Egypt to help with security in a postwar Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. However, there was no mention of this in Arabic media.
Former Gazan leader Mohammed Dahlan, a member of Palestinian Fatah, has resided in the UAE in the past. He has not been mentioned recently, however, and Israel has opposed the Palestinian Authority running Gaza.
At the same time, the Trump administration reportedly held a meeting about Gaza on Wednesday. “President Donald Trump presided over a policy meeting on Israel’s war in Gaza and postwar plans for the Palestinian territory on Wednesday with input from former British prime minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said,” Reuters reported.
Kushner was a key player in the Abraham Accords, and Blair has extensive experience in the region. As such, both of them would be likely to see the UAE playing a key role in the future of the region.