On the quarter-century anniversary of President Anwar Sadat’s journey to Jerusalem, the Egyptian government has decided to cut agricultural ties with Israel. Egyptian Agriculture Minister Yousef Walli cited the “Israeli government's negative position” as the reason for the break, reported Al-Nahar.
On November 19, 1977, Sadat addressed the Israeli parliament (Knesset), pledging to go to the end of the world in search of peace. The dramatic move paved the way for the signing of the Camp David peace accords two years later. It also led to Sadat’s assassination by members of the Islamic Jihad in 1981.
Egyptian-Israeli agricultural cooperation centers on the exchange of expertise, especially in the areas of desert farming and irrigation, a field that Israel has much experience in. Up until recently, Egyptian farmers regularly visited Israel to learn horticulture techniques and a joint agricultural commission held annual meetings alternatively in Israel and Egypt.
Most of the agricultural and business ties have already been suspended in April this year, following the five-week Israeli 'Operation Defensive Shield' military incursion into the West Bank. Egypt had recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv in November 2000, in protest of Israel’s handling of the Palestinian Intifada Al-Aksa.
At the same time, diplomatic channels between Cairo and remain open and the peace treaty endures. Just this week Egypt's Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav, reported the Jerusalem Post.
The peace treaty with Israel, backed by a steady flow of US aid to Egypt, was perceived as a chance to economically revive Egypt. US foreign aid to Egypt amounts to $1.9 billion annually since 1979, second only to Israel, which receives $2.9 billion in US foreign aid every year. Nonetheless, twenty-five years on, Egyptians have grown increasingly skeptic about the economic benefits of peace.
Anti-Israeli sentiments are running high in Egypt. The state broadcasting authority is currently airing a television series named “Horseman without a Horse”, based partly on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a document alleging a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world. The series has drawn Israeli and international criticism for the series’ anti-Semitic content, broadcasted at a time when the Arab world is asking the West to condemn prejudice against Muslims. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
