Al-Jazira TV: Egypt considers political, economic measures against Israel
Egypt is considering adopting political and economic measures against Israel to protest its crackdown on the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera television reported overnight Wednesday, July 26.
Measures under study include severing political contacts until Israel accepts the deployment of third-party monitors and applies a total ceasefire, according to the Qatari-based satellite channel, quoting its Cairo correspondent.
Egypt is also looking at restrictions on Israelis entering the country as well as halting imports from the Jewish state, it said.
Egyptian officials could not immediately confirm or deny the Al-Jazeera report while both Egyptian President Husni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmad Mahr were traveling in Europe.
In Cairo on Monday Mahr defended Egypt against Arab media criticism for hosting talks on July 15 with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, despite a freeze on political contacts called by a group of Arab foreign ministers, including Mahr.
Egypt's top diplomat said he was simply seeking to "explain that Egypt's contacts with Israel have the goal of supporting the Palestinian cause and the need for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Syrian and Lebanese land."
During a visit to Paris on Tuesday, Mahr said it would not be a problem if only US nationals were sent to monitor the application of the Mitchell report, a blueprint for a Palestinian-Israeli truce and return to negotiations.
Israel is opposed to an international team being sent to the region to monitor how the Mitchell report is implemented. However it has said that more CIA agents from the United States, a traditional ally of Israel, could be sent. The Central Intelligence Agency helped broker a ceasefire on June 13 and its personnel have been monitoring the shaky truce since then.
Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv in November in protest at what it called Israel's excessive use of force against the Palestinians. Well over 650 people have been killed since the uprising began in late September, mostly Palestinians. ― (AFP, Cairo)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
