Ranking Egyptian and Israeli generals, former antagonists on the battlefields of Sinai, smiled, joked, shook hands and embraced as they shared conversation and cocktails at a reception in the sprawling Defense Ministry complex just outside Tel Aviv last night. The Egyptians are members of the entourage of Defense Minister Kamal Hassan Ali who arrived in Israel yesterday for a five-day visit as the guest of Defense Minister Ezer Weizman.
Weizman gave the reception in Ali’s honor last night. “So many years ago we saw each other through the sights of rifles and now we sit around one table together,” he observed. Indeed, it is nearly seven years since those Israeli and Egyptian soldiers last met — at rifle, artillery and rocket range — in the heat of the Yom Kippur War. Last night, with their countries bound by a treaty of peace, they were able to reminisce together and exchange stories of their battle experiences.
Gen. David Ivri, commander of the Israel Air Force, conversed with his Egyptian counterpart Lt. Gen. Abdul Muni’im. Ariel Sharon, Israel’s Agriculture Minister, who commanded an Israeli division in the Yom Kippur War, talked animatedly with Gen. Ibrahim Ourabi, commander of the same Egyptian Second Army that Sharon had faced in Sinai in 1973. Gen. Dan Shomron, a field commander during the Yom Kippur War, discussed the tactics and maneuvers of those days with a group of former Egyptian field commanders as if they were reviewing a lesson in military history.
‘WE FEEL AT HOME HERE’
Some of the officers were in uniform, others in multi. The atmosphere was one of comradery that prevails wherever soldiers get together. It was noticeable from the moment the Egyptian party landed at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday, in a driving rainstorm, to receive a warm welcome with full military honors. Hassan Ali, wearing civilian clothes and a dark fur hat, inspected the guard of honor composed of Air force cadets. A young woman soldier held a large umbrella over his head. A meeting with Weizman followed during which the two defense ministers reportedly agreed on several matters including the movement of Israeli tourists to parts of Sinai now under Egyptian control.
At last night’s reception, Weizman said, “We have still problems to solve — the West Bank and the danger from our east which I hope will disappear when our neighbors will learn from the Egyptians. My friend, Gen. Ali, is just as good at maneuvering in politics as he is handling a war machine.”
Hassan Ali responded: “We feel at home here, which proves that our relations are improving and deepening as more time elapses. They are not only political contacts but personal and friendly relations and understanding. I truly hope the nations in the region will follow our example towards peace.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
