Israel's apology for the killing of six Egyptian security and military personnel Thursday on the Egyptian side of theEgyptian-Israeli border does not correspond to the incident's seriousness, the Egyptian government said in a statement Sunday. While Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed sorrow on Saturday over the deaths, no official apology has been offered by the Israeli government. Egypt said the Israeli statement was positive, although it would not mollify the anger that has exploded on the streets of Egypt over the last few days. The statement did not address the confusion over the recall of Egypt's ambassador from Tel Aviv. The Egyptian cabinet announced on its website on Thursday that it would be recalling its ambassador from Israel, but denied the news only few hours later, claiming that a draft was published accidentally. The government also stressed the need to set a timetable for the end of a joint investigation with Israel over the incident. The statement emphasized that while Egypt is keen on maintaining peace with Israel, “Tel Aviv should take responsibility for protecting this peace.” Translated from the Arabic Edition
