I'm John Batchel with my colleagues, Hussain Akani, of the Hudson Institute,

former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, and Bill Rajah of the Foundation for Defensive Democracies.

Cairo Hussein, General Morsi, now President Morsi, these many years,

I believe had passing good conversations with Mr. Trump for the first term.

There is now a new element here.

Mr. Netanyahu has indicated over these last days restating a position that's been in place for some time,

that he is reluctant as in will not surrender the Philadelphia corridor, nor the opportunity

to cut off any resupply for Hamas coming from the Sinai. Do you see that being a turning

issue for the Trump administration in its relations with Cairo?

I think that the Trump administration would be willing to negotiate with Freedom Marshall-C. without sort of any inhibitions about his lack of democratic

credentials, et cetera, et cetera. Those issues will not feature. And Marshall CC might also see a potential for some kind of

a pragmatic arrangement over the next four years. Egypt doesn't want an inflow of Palestinian refugees.

It doesn't want a really bad relationship with the Palestinians as a whole.

It doesn't want to be condemned for not being sympathetic enough to the Arab brethren,

the Arab Muslim brethren of Palestine.

But basically, he wants to manage this problem while maintaining Egypt's relationship with Israel.

And I think that if President Trump and his team can come up with a pragmatic solution, he will embrace it.

Bill, your thoughts about Egypt because the suspicion is that it either winked at or took money for the smuggling of weapons and trained personnel into Gaza

to prepare Hamas for the massacres of 2023.

That relationship between Jerusalem and Cairo has been critical, an anchor for the Middle East.

Do you see the Philadelphia corridor breaking down that relationship, or can this be finessed?

I think that it can be finessed.

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