Palsitainan President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Friday for a three-day visit to meet President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. During the meeting, Al-Sisi asserted the significance of the Egyptian-Palestinian historical relations. He pledged to continue talks and coordination between Fatah and Hamas factions to reach a Palestinian reconciliation and to achieve the hopes of Palestinian people in ending the division. Al-Sisi and Abbas discussed recent updates in the Middle East, issues of common interest, and mutual challenges facing the two countries. Both also addressed efforts of the Palestinian reconciliation, and the role Egypt is playing to conclude an agreement between Fatah and Hamas factions. During the meeting, Abbas hailed Egyptian efforts, sponsored by Al-Sisi, in facilitating reconciliation efforts. The meeting was attended by the Egyptian Head of Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, as well as the Egyptian presidency spokesperson, Bassam Rady, according to the Palestinian embassy statement. Furthermore, Abbas is set to attend the opening ceremony of Egypt's largest mosque, Al-Fattah Al-Aleem, and the biggest cathedral in the Middle East in the New Administrative Capital on Sunday, the Christmas Eve. During a meeting with a number of Egyptian journalists late Friday, Abbas voiced that he does not expect that the Palestinian cause will be solved during the upcoming 10 years. Abbas revealed that he met with US President Donald Trump four times, noting that each time Trump kept asserting that he agreed on the two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, Abbas noted, he was surprised after the previous meetings with Trump's decision of relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognising the holy city as the capital of Israel. Meanwhile, Abbas urged attendees to not believe “anything about what is called ‘deal of the century,' saying "there are no deals. Don't believe rumours.”
