An unexpected, sharp attack on Israel in Egypt’s official daily Al Ahram has caused Israelis to wonder whether the equally sudden cancellation of a visit by a senior Egyptian diplomat may be political rather than health-related.
Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Bassiouni, announced Monday that a planned visit to Israel by the former Egyptian prime minister, Dr. Mustafa Khalil, has been called off because Khalil suffered a heart attack. He was due here Nov. 16 to attend a symposium sponsored by Israeli universities to mark the 10th anniversary of the late President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem on Nov. 19, 1977.
Khalil was prime minister of Egypt at the time.
Just as Bassiouni was conveying Khalil’s regrets to his Israeli hosts, the chief editor of Al-Ahram, Ibrahim Nafa, published an editorial urging the Arab summit that opened in Amman, Jordan on Sunday to renew Arab solidarity in face of “the Iranian and the Israeli dangers.”
Nafa accused Israel of being guided by religious and racist ideas that “Zionist propagandists have used to take over Palestine and occupy additional Arab lands.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
