It almost went unnoticed Wednesday that it was the seventh anniversary of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
But Israeli Ambassador Meir Rosenne reminded guests at an Israeli Embassy reception for visiting Tourism Minister Avraham Sharir that it was on March 26, 1979 that the treaty was signed in Washington by then-Israeli Premier Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
While the treaty has not brought about the full normalization of relations the Israelis expected in 1979, Rosenne stressed that for the last seven years no soldier has been killed on either side of the Egyptian-Israeli line.
Sharir, who spent most of Wednesday discussing means of increasing American tourism to Israel with United States government officials, conceded that the recent terrorist incidents in the Middle East have cut tourism to Israel.
But he stressed the need not to give in to terrorism and said Israelis were ready to welcome thousands and even millions of American tourists with “open arms.” To help facilitate increased tourism, the Ministry of Tourism is opening an office at the Embassy here.
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