Israel Radio reported today that Eliahu Ben-Elissar, the Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, is slated to be Israel’s first Ambassador to Egypt. There was no official confirmation. The radio report attributed its information to sources close to Premier Menachem Begin but said that Ben-Elissar has not yet accepted the post. He has been mentioned frequently by the media as a likely candidate because of his closeness to Begin and his successful contacts with the Egyptians during the early stages of the peace process.
Ben-Elissar headed the first Israeli delegation to Cairo at the Mena House conference after the Camp David accords were signed in September 1978. Last April he represented Israel at the ceremonies in Cairo where the instruments of ratification of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty were exchanged Ben-Elissar is a member of Begin’s Herut Party. Before joining Herut he was a high-ranking officer in the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service.
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