Egypt’s New Envoy to Israel Says Brings Message of Peace
Egypt’s New Envoy to Israel Says Brings Message of Peace
Egypt’s new ambassador to Israel took up his post on Wednesday, assuring the Jewish state of Cairo’s continued commitment to a 1979 peace treaty.
“I came with a message of peace and I came to confirm that we are working for mutual trust and transparency and we are committed to all the agreements we signed with Israel,” Atef Mohamed Salem Sayed Elahl said on presenting his credentials to President Shimon Peres.
Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Mursi, hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, and his ascent to power in an election after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in a popular uprising in 2011 has raised concern in Israel about the future of the peace pact.
Stepped-up Islamist militant activity against Egyptians and Israelis along the Sinai frontier has also worried Israel, which has carefully monitored Egyptian military deployment against the gunmen for any breaches of troop and equipment limitations set out in the peace accord.
The Mursi administration has assured Israel that the peace treaty signed by President Anwar Sadat - who was later assassinated by Islamist gunmen - is safe. But Mursi has also kept the Israeli government at arm’s length, and avoids referring to Israel by name in public remarks.