Egypt's Sisi to meet with Jewish leaders in Washington this week

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet with various Jewish leaders in Washington on Thursday, according to a report by Jewish Insider.

The gathering will take place while Sisi is in the US capital for the US-Africa Leaders Summit, which is expected to draw more than 50 African delegations to Washington.

Though the exact purpose of the meeting is unclear, Jewish Insider points out that in 2019 Sisi met with an Orthodox Jewish delegation in Cairo, Ezra Friedlander. There, the lobbyist advocated for the US Congress to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Anwar Sadat, the assassinated Egyptian president who signed a peace deal with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David in 1978.

"This meeting will afford participants an opportunity to further engage in the post-Abraham Accords era," Friedlander told Jewish Insider.

News reports over the past several years indicate that Sisi has held multiple meetings with Jewish leaders several times, with Friedlander advocating for Sadat to be honoured with a congressional medal.