Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in New York on Wednesday to discuss Gaza and reviving the so-called peace talks with the Palestinians, officials said.

During the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours and took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the two “discussed regional developments and the situation in Gaza”, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.

On Tuesday, the World Bank warned that the Gaza Strip’s economy is in “free fall” as cuts to aid and salaries add to an already crippling Israeli blockade on the besieged enclave.

Netanyahu and Sisi also discussed “ways to revive the peace process” between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a statement from the Egyptian president’s office said.

Sisi told Netanyahu that “a final and just settlement to the Palestinian issue would contribute to providing a new situation in the Middle East,” the statement said.

Both Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chief Mahomud Abbas are due to address the UN General Assembly later on Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump met the Israeli premier and pledged to present a “very fair” Middle East peace plan by the end of the year.

Source: AFP