Is Egypt mediating secret meetings between Riyadh and Tel Aviv? Senior Saudi officials reportedly “held a series of secret meetings in Cairo last week” with Israeli counterparts that were mediated by Egypt, an unnamed member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. The story was reported by The Times of Israel and Sputnik, citing a report by the Khaleej Times. The UAE-based paper has, however, disavowed all knowledge of the story, dismissing it as “fake news” and “propaganda.”

On a related note, Cairo and Riyadh have been pushing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a peace treaty that US President Donald Trump plans to announce soon, sources from the PA tell i24News. “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi both told Abbas that he has no choice but to be pragmatic,” they add.

…and speaking of MbS, the Saudi royal reportedly sang Egypt’s praises to UK officials during his visit over the weekend. His message “assigned a special status to Egypt as Saudi Arabia’s partner in confronting the challenges to the region and in economic projects, such as the NEOM megacity plan,” says The National.