By Al-Masry Al-Youm

Copyright egyptindependent

The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is scheduled to travel to Cairo for talks with senior Egyptian officials, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed to The New York Times.
The visit comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Egypt, with discussions set to focus on the war in Gaza.
Three US and Middle Eastern officials told the US newspaper that the trip would mark the first official visit to Egypt by a sitting US Ambassador to Israel in decades. This historic visit is expected to include a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
The role of the current US Ambassador to Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg, in these particular discussions was not immediately clear.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tensions and border security flare up
The visit follows significant friction between Cairo and Jerusalem.
Egypt has been publicly critical of the Israeli military operations in Gaza, fearing that the sustained hostilities could force hundreds of thousands of Gazans to cross the border into the Sinai Peninsula.
Tensions flared further after Israeli media reported that Israeli officials raised concerns with Washington regarding Egyptian military reinforcements in Sinai.
The Egyptian government responded last week, stating that its forces in Sinai are intended solely to protect the Egyptian border from all threats, explicitly denying Israeli allegations that the deployment violates the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.
Focus on peace plan
Ambassador Huckabee is expected to address these bilateral tensions during his time in Cairo.
The talks will also reportedly include a discussion of a new plan to end the war, which President Donald Trump recently shared with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings this week, according to two of the officials.
This 21-point Trump plan reportedly involves the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a phased withdrawal of Israel’s forces.
Who is Huckabee?
President Trump appointed Huckabee, a strong supporter of Israel, as Ambassador shortly after his re-election.
Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel following the signing of the 1979 peace treaty, which ended decades of conflict between them.
Since then, the two countries have gradually developed their relationship through intelligence sharing, major trade agreements, and maintaining direct communication channels between their leaders.
However, the ongoing war in Gaza, which began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has created a rift between the two nations.
Egypt, alongside Qatar and the US, has been instrumental in serving as a mediator in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Edited translation from Al-Masry al-Youm