No Egyptian security intervention in Palestine expected
CAIRO: Talk of possible security intervention on the side of Egypt in Palestine is unfounded, according to reports in the local press.
According to Al Akhbar, Egypt has denied that it might make a security intervention in Gaza, in light of recent rocket attacks and raids between Israel and Hamas.
“There is already a Palestinian government, so why would Egypt send a security presence? military expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Mohammed Kadry Saeed told The Daily Star Egypt.
Saeed added, “Sending forces into any country must come either at the request of the country itself, or within the scope of a UN peacekeeping force, which Egyptian forces may be a part of.
In short, Saeed was doubtful that Egypt would contemplate something like this.
In other news, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is due to visit Egypt Thursday to hold discussions on the Arab peace plan with Israel proposed at the March summit in Saudi Arabia.
However the visit is yet to be confirmed in light of the recent crisis in Israeli politics, with incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Olmert under fire for mismanaging the Lebanon war according to a recently released Israeli investigation.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit stated that the visit was planned before the eruption of the Israeli crisis but said that it was still “possible that Livni would make it.
Concerning an Egyptian and Jordanian visit to Israel to discuss the peace initiative, Abul Gheit said: “The Israeli situation does not permit a visit by the Egyptian minister and the Jordanian minister – the working team formed to go to Israel and speak to them.
The Arab initiative proposes full recognition of Israel by its neighbours in exchange for a return to the pre-1967 borders, the formation of a Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees exiled in 1948 and 1967.
