CAIRO: The Egyptian government has recalled its ambassador to Israel after Israeli defense forces killed at least three Egyptian soldiers in a Thursday raid after armed gunmen killed 6 Israeli civilians in the southern city of Eilat. Israel said the militants had traversed the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt en route to Eilat from Gaza. However, Gaza-based groups have denied any involvement in the attack. Protests in front of the Israeli Embassy in Egypt erupted on Friday afternoon and as of Saturday are continuing. Activists are demanding the government expel the Israeli ambassador in Egypt and a number have demanded the end of the Camp David Treaty with the Jewish state. Anti-Israeli slogans were chanted in front of the embassy, where some 1,000 protesters remained throughout Friday night and into Saturday morning. The incident in Sinai on Thursday is the first real test of the 1979 peace agreement between the two countries. Many Egyptian activists have demanded the government re-assess the treaty in light of the situation facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Initially on Saturday morning, the interim Egyptian Cabinet issued a statement saying it had expelled the Israeli ambassador, but hours later said that the statement was published erroneously and apologized. BM
