Ambassador Eliahu Ben-Elissar has denied persistent media reports that he was experiencing social ostracism as Israel’s first envoy in Cairo. Ben-Elissar said that on the contrary, he is the envy of many other ambassadors in the Egyptian capital because of his easy access to Egyptian leaders.
“Whenever necessary I can meet with President (Anwar) Sadat, his Premier or other Egyptian leaders within two days,” he said. He said he and his wife, Nitza, were not “lonely” after two months service in Cairo. He said they and the Embassy staff were feeling “almost excellent.”
Ben-Elissar admitted, however, that there were instances of coolness especially in the Egyptian media, but even this is gradually diminishing. “One should understand that 30 years of animosity do not disappear immediately as if they did not exist,” the envoy said.
He arrived here from Paris where he attended a rally of solidarity with Israel last Sunday. He said he was deeply impressed. “I have never seen anything like it. When 150, 000 French Jews come out in support of Israel, that indicates that French Jews are undergoing a political transformation,” Ben-Elissar said. He returns to Cairo on Thursday.
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