EGYPT NOT NOTIFIED ON NEW ISRAELI AMBASSADOR

        Cairo, 21 Dul Hijja 1434/25 October 2013 (MINA) – The Egyptian government  was not officially notified about Israel’s naming of a new ambassador to Cairo, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

         “We have not been officially informed about the naming of a new Israeli ambassador to Egypt,” ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati told. 

         On Friday, Israeli daily Maariv reported that Israeli Ambassador to South Sudan Haim Koren would replace Yaakov Amitai as Israel’s chief diplomatic representative in Egypt.

         But according to Abdel-Ati, while Amitai had spoken to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry two days ago, “he did not mention his [imminent] departure.”

         Koren has previously served in Israel’s Foreign Ministry in various diplomatic capacities in Nepal, the US and Egypt, Anadolu Agency reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

        At one point, he served as director of Israel’s Middle East Division of Foreign Affairs.

        The Sudanese government has accused Koren of contributing to the current strained relations between Khartoum and Juba.

         In 2011, Turkmenistan rejected Koren as Israeli ambassador, asserting that he was an agent of the Mossad, the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s notorious spy agency.

        Turkmenistan had rejected Israel’s new ambassador to Cairo, asserting that he was a Mossad agent.

        The peace between Egypt and Israel has lasted for more than thirty three years, and Egypt became an important strategic partner of Israel. In January 2011, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former defence minister known for his close ties to Egyptian officials, stated that “Egypt is not only our closest friend in the region, the co-operation between us goes beyond the strategic.

        Nevertheless, the relationship is sometimes described as a “cold peace“, with many in Egypt skeptical about its effectiveness. The Arab-Israeli conflict kept relations cool and anti-Semitic incitement is prevalent in the Egyptian media.

        In 2003, Egyptian Air Force UAVs entered Israeli airspace and overflew the nuclear research facilities at Nahal Sorek and Palmachim Airbase. Israel threatened to shoot the drones down.

         Although diplomatic relations were established in 1980, the Egyptian ambassador to Israel was recalled between 1982 and 1988, and again between 2001 and 2005 during the Second Intifada.

         During the final years of the Mubarak administration, the leading Egyptian official conducting contacts with Israel had been the head of Egyptian intelligence Omar Suleiman. Suleiman was ousted from power at the same time as Mubarak, and Israel was said to have very few channel of communication open with Egypt during the events of 2011.

         Egypt undermined the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by opening the Rafah border to persons in May 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood in the Egyptian parliament wished to open trade across the border with Gaza, a move said to be resisted by Egypt’s Tantawi government.

         After an exchange of rocket fire between Gaza and Israel in March 2012, the Egyptian parliamentary committee for Arab affairs urged the Egyptian government to recall its ambassador to Israel from Tel Aviv, and deport Israel’s ambassador in Egypt. This was largely symbolic since only the ruling military council can make such decisions. (T/P04/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)