CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi hosted Israel’s prime minister and the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates on Monday amid a deadlock in talks to revive a nuclear deal with Iran.

Shared concerns over Iran saw the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain forge ties with Israel in 2020 to create a new regional axis at a time of uncertainty over the commitment of key security ally, the United States.

Gulf states were excluded from talks to revive a 2015 nuclear pact with Iran that they have criticised for not addressing Tehran’s missile programme and regional proxies, including in Yemen.

Egypt’s presidency said Sisi and the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan held expanded bilateral talks in the Red Sea Resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Sisi stressed Egypt’s commitment to security in the Gulf and “rejection of any practices that seek to destabilise it”, the presidency said in a statement. There was no official comment on any talks involving Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2022