US Vice President Mike Pence met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Saturday as he began a delayed Middle East tour overshadowed by Arab anger over Washington´s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel´s capital. The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December. Egypt´s top Muslim cleric and the head of its Coptic Church had both cancelled meetings with Pence in December in protest at the Jerusalem decision. After Jordan — the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem — Pence will head to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Pence can expect a warm welcome after Trump´s decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel´s side in the dispute over the city.

Source: Pakistan Today January 20, 2018 17:48 UTC