CAIRO: Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was nominated for the Israeli “Personality of the Year” award by Israeli's Channel Two television station. He is the first non-Israeli to be nominated for the award. The station released a statement on Sunday nominating Mubarak for the award, citing his commitment to sustaining peace with Israel. “Mubarak offered a lot of services to the State of Israel, so he should be honored even if he cannot receive the award,” claimed Israeli journalist Audi Siegel. Relations between Egypt and Israel have cooled since the fall of the Mubarak government, causing much anxiety in Israel. A protest in front of the Israeli embassy on September 9 became intense when Egyptian protesters stormed the embassy building. The protest came in response to a military scuffle on the Egyptian border with Israel in which Israeli troops shot five Egyptian security personnel dead. Many in Egypt considered the incident a breach of the Camp David Accords, which govern peace between the two nations. The winner of the Israeli “Personality of the Year” award will be announced in January. BM
