Egypt has no desire to be dragged into a military conflict or to see regional tensions spiral into another Saudi-Iran proxy battle, Hamza Hendawi writes for The Associated Press. Egypt’s stance comes despite Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries’ expectation that it will have their back as tensions rise with Iran. Hendawi says this reluctance on Egypt’s part could lead to frictions between Cairo and Riyadh. He writes that “Egypt’s track record under el-Sissi shows his reluctance toward military action unless its own territory is directly threatened or if the Gulf is subjected to a clear-cut aggression.”

Also worth a quick skim this morning:

• The Palestinian-Israeli Peace Process needs another figure like Anwar Sadat, Zev Chafets writes for Bloomberg, who draws on his experience working as head of the press office for the Israeli government during Sadat’s visit to the Knesset in the ‘70s.
• While ties have been warming, Egypt still maintains a “cold peace” with Israel, Adam Abrams writes for The Algemeiner. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has been a “warmer partner for Israel” than predecessor Mohamed Morsi, but hasn’t really deepened bilateral relations.
• Khaled Ali’s chances in the presidential elections depend on winning a unified endorsement from civil parties and forces, running a good campaign, and having international supervisors present, Khalid Hassan writes for Al-Monitor.
• British tourist Laura Plummer is going to stand trial on 25 December for bringing to Egypt meds for her husband, The Sun reports.