CAIRO – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to strengthen cooperation after an Egyptian policeman shot three Israeli soldiers before being killed, according to officials.
According to the Egyptian president’s spokesman, El-Sisi received a phone call from Netanyahu about Saturday’s deadly violence on the normally calm border.
The two leaders discussed “the importance of coordination between the two countries to clarify the circumstances,” he said.
According to Egypt, the officer crossed into Israel while pursuing narcotics dealers, resulting in exchanges of fire with Israeli soldiers.
Netanyahu termed the Egyptian shooter a “terrorist” on Saturday, but has since largely referred to the shootings as a “incident.”
El-Sisi sent Netanyahu his “deep condolences,” the Israeli prime minister’s office stated.
“The two leaders expressed their commitment to further strengthening peace and security cooperation, which is an essential value for both countries,” the statement went on to say.
Israel’s border with Egypt has been largely quiet since Egypt became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel following the Camp David accords of 1978.
Smugglers and Israeli soldiers stationed along the border have exchanged fire in recent years.
Questions have been raised about why the Egyptian assailant, who Egyptian media reported was a 22-year-old conscript, crossed the border into Israel and opened fire.
At the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said his government had sent Egypt a “clear message”: “We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough.”
His office said on Tuesday that he had “thanked the Egyptian president for… his commitment to an exhaustive and joint investigation of the incident.”
Source: Arab News
