Overview
- U.S. officials are working to broker a meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who have not spoken since before the Gaza war.
- Washington has told Israel the summit depends on Netanyahu approving a multibillion-dollar natural gas agreement and preparing additional economic incentives.
- The proposed deal would supply roughly a quarter of Egypt's electricity, involves Chevron as a partner, and was approved by Sisi in July though Israel has not endorsed it.
- An Israeli source and a U.S. official say Netanyahu has quietly formed a team to craft tangible economic deliverables for a potential summit.
- U.S. officials view the effort as a template to re-engage Israel with Arab governments through business-focused initiatives in tech, energy, water, and renewables and to restore momentum behind the Abraham Accords.