Egypt is in the process of naming its ambassador to Israel after a four-year hiatus, reports Nevine Khalil When Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit told reporters at the Sharm El- Sheikh summit last week that a decision had been made to return both the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to Israel, the pressing question immediately became: when would the return take place? Last week, cabinet spokesman Magdi Radi said that Egypt would send its ambassador back to Israel "in a week or 10 days". The ambassador, he said, had not yet been selected. An informed Egyptian source told Al- Ahram Weekly the candidate under consideration is Mohamed El-Orabi, who has been Egypt's ambassador to Berlin since October 2001. El-Orabi served as minister plenipotentiary and deputy chief of mission at the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv from 1994 to 1998. He has also served tours in Washington, DC and London. Jordan, meanwhile, seemed to be moving faster. Just a day after Sharm El-Sheikh, Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Al-Mulki presented Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom with an official request to approve the appointment of Jordan's new ambassador to Israel. Jordan's pick for the sensitive post is Maarouf Al-Bakhit, who currently serves as the kingdom's ambassador to Turkey. It is almost certain that both ambassadors will return to Israel by March, nearly four and a half years after Egypt and Jordan -- the only Arab countries to sign peace agreements with Israel (in 1979 and 1994 respectively) -- recalled their ambassadors from Tel Aviv as the second Intifada began. Mohamed Bassiouni, who had been Egypt's ambassador to Israel since 1986, was recalled on 21 November 2000 in protest against Israel's use of excessive force against the Palestinians, one day after a massive Israeli missile attack on the Gaza Strip. Upon his return to Egypt over four years ago, Bassiouni said that Cairo needed three conditions fulfilled before an ambassador goes back: Israel must stop using force against the Palestinians; negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis must resume; and Israel must take steps to rebuild confidence. The situation changed at Sharm El-Sheikh last week, Bassiouni told the Weekly. "Both sides announced a ceasefire; they will be sitting together for dialogue; and the peace process will move once again. At the same time," he said, "we need an ambassador in Israel at this critical juncture, to assist in moving the Palestinians forward." Bassiouni, who is currently chairman of the Shura Council's Security Committee, said Israel had been constantly demanding the Egyptian ambassador's return. According to Mustafa El-Feki, chairman of the People's Assembly's Foreign Relations Committee, the Palestinians also wanted the ambassador to go back. El-Feki told the Weekly that "the Palestinians constantly asked for the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to return -- and now new hope was born at Sharm El-Sheikh." Although recalling the ambassador "was essential" in light of the massacres carried out by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, El-Feki said, sending one back now was important. "We are readying for an intense round of talks, and a new phase in the peace process," he said. Common sense dictated that Egypt could not successfully play the role of an arbitrator between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) without having an ambassador in Israel. In the weeks leading up to the summit, top Egyptian officials -- including Abul- Gheit and Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman -- held a number of successful meetings with senior Israeli officials, which resulted in unprecedented agreements regarding securing the Egyptian border with Gaza, including the deployment of Egyptian military units. For over a year, Egypt also played a major mediating role between Palestinian factions, the PA, and Israel. More recently Egypt committed itself to upgrading the PA security apparatus. "We are playing a pivotal role in the region's peacemaking," Bassiouni said, "and we must have direct contact with the Israelis." Echoing that sentiment, El-Feki said that since Egypt and Israel have a peace agreement, "it is natural for our ambassador to be in Israel." Bassiouni and El-Feki, both veteran diplomats, believe that the candidate for ambassador should be well versed in internal and external Israeli affairs, have a comprehensive understanding of the Palestinian issue, be capable of playing an effective negotiating role, and have the skills to maintain contact with both the Palestinians and the Israelis. Icy relations between Egypt and Israel began warming up in December, when Egypt released Azzam Azzam, the Israeli Druze who had served seven years of a 15-year sentence for spying. In exchange, Israel freed six Egyptian students accused of plotting to kidnap and assassinate Israeli soldiers. The new cordial atmosphere was crowned when Egypt, the US and Israel signed the QIZ free trade agreement in mid- December. Even then, Shalom had anticipated the return of an Egyptian ambassador, saying it "could be a precursor for diplomatic representation with countries from North Africa and the Gulf". Israel has diplomatic ties with Morocco, Tunisia and Qatar, but none of them has sent an ambassador to Tel Aviv. Bassiouni wants to remain optimistic, hoping that the circumstances won't necessitate any more expressions of protest. "But it all depends on how events unfold," he said. El-Feki was also hopeful that "we have started a new phase." At the same time, he noted that, if need be, "there are many forms of protesting. Our hands are not tied; our options will remain open."
