Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once asked him why Egypt was arming itself. El-Sisi also said he has urged Netanyahu to accept a Palestinian state at every meeting between the two leaders since 2014.
The remarks were carried by Open Source Intel. No other outlet has reported them, and they have not been independently verified. The account does not say when or where el-Sisi spoke, or when the exchange with Netanyahu took place.
El-Sisi described his answer to Netanyahu. He said he had never seen Israel's military strength as a threat and expected Israel to view Egypt's capabilities the same way. He said Egypt sits in an unstable region and must stay strong to preserve its peace with Israel and with the wider region.
On the Palestinian issue, el-Sisi argued that a Palestinian state would benefit all sides and bring lasting peace and stability to the region.
