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A (Moderately) Hopeful Sign for Israel from Cairo
(Jerusalem Post) Zvi Mazel - The Israeli ambassador's residence in Maadi, Cairo's southern suburb, has been elevated temporarily to the rank of embassy until a new "permanent" building is ready. At the public ceremony on Wednesday, Dore Gold, director-general of the Israel Foreign Ministry, raised the flag while the anthems of both countries were played. This follows June's appointment of a new Egyptian ambassador to Israel, Hazem Khairat. These two steps can be interpreted as signaling a positive shift in the relations between Egypt and Israel, perhaps as a result of increased security cooperation in the Sinai Peninsula. Since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took the helm, there has been a significant lessening of tension between Cairo and Jerusalem. The new president has refrained from attacking Israel publicly. The Egyptian media are still overwhelmingly hostile, but in more subdued tones, even though there are still outbursts of hatred, mainly from Islamic circles. The writer is a former ambassador to Romania, Egypt and Sweden.