Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)–The greeting of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Israeli Energy Minister Karen El Harar in Cairo sparked a state of interaction through social networks and among government officials in Israel.
Al-Sisi’s initiative to greet the Israeli minister was at the opening of the Egypt International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition “EGYPS 2022”, which began in the Egyptian capital, on Monday.
During a television broadcast, Sisi was shown walking into the conference hall in the direction of the Israeli Energy Minister, who was sitting in a wheelchair, before they had a short conversation.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the Egyptian president’s behavior, saying on Twitter: “President Sisi, you touched all of us.”
And the Israeli embassy in Cairo tweeted, commenting: “Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, in a step that deserves all appreciation and respect, goes to pay a special greeting to Energy Minister Karen Al-Harar, participating in the Egypt International Energy Conference and Exhibition, which opened today in Cairo with the participation of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.”
Likewise, the “Israel in Arabic” account of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the gesture as a “noble humanitarian position.”
Cooperation relations between Egypt and Israel have strengthened since Cairo mediated a cease-fire agreement between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions last May.
In September 2021, the Israeli Prime Minister made the first official visit by an Israeli official to Egypt in nearly a decade. At that time, Sisi received him at the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.