Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made his first official trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to meet with King Abdullah. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah at a royal palace in Jeddah on Sunday.

The two leaders of the Arab world’s most populous and wealthy states met to discuss both regional and international issues, including the conflict in Gaza and the situation in Iraq, Al-Arabiya reported.

“There is no doubt that the meeting between the leadership of the two countries is important in light of the current circumstance of the Arab and Muslim nation,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Many in the Arab world have criticized the two leaders for their soft response to Israel’s campaign against Hamas. Analyst speculate that both leaders favor Israel weakening or destroying Hamas, an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organization by Egypt and Saudi Arabia last year. Egypt is currently leading efforts to broker a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The meeting was the first official visit to Saudi Arabia by El-Sisi since his election last May. The 90-year-old King Abdullah has been one of El-Sisi’s staunchest supporters, giving at least $12 billion in aid to Egypt to support its weakened economy and bolster its military campaign against Islamic extremists.