CAIRO: As Egypt and Israel's small-scale prisoner swap was concluded Friday, one might question how a deal of so little apparent value for Egypt came to be. Analysts and observers of the deal have speculated that the swap was meant merely as a symbol of cooperative diplomatic relations between the United States and Egypt. In the swap, Israeli-American citizen Ilan Grapel was swapped for 25 Egyptians, mostly Bedouins from the Sinai, who were finishing minor jail sentences for smuggling or trespassing. As the released Egyptian prisoners crossed the border home on Thursday, some bowed down in prayer as they touched Egyptian ground. Grapel, who was arrested in Egypt last June for allegedly working as an Israeli agent during the uprisings that toppled Hosni Mubarak earlier this year, was returned to his family a few hours earlier. The swap was brokered by the United States, who concluded the deal by giving Egypt an F-16 fighter jet, despite Israel's objections to the weapons trade. Analysts now believe the deal was brokered in order to ease American-Egyptian relations, which have become blurred since the January 25 revolution and its aftermath. The US was a major supporter of the Mubarak regime, and continues to support the Egyptian military financially. “I consider it a cover for returning this spy with pressure from the United States,” Egyptian analyst Hassan Nafaa said, commenting on the deal. “The release of those 25 represents a cover that has no meaning in fact. It does not harm Israel and it does not significantly benefit Egyptians,” he added. Since the Israeli embassy was stormed and burned down this September by angry protesters in Cairo, Egyptian-Israeli relations have been complicated. The protesters were demonstrating against an incident in which Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed at least five Egyptian security personnel while searching for Palestinian militants near the Israeli border. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has subsequently issued an apology to Egypt for this incident, which was a violation of the 1979 Camp David Accords that governs peace between the two nations. Since the Arab Spring sparkled revolt and toppled regimes in the Middle East, Israel has been in an uneasy situation. Not knowing where former alliances and animosities are going, they must rely on the US to secure certain relations. Egyptian-Israeli relations have been good during the Mubarak regime, with Egypt being an Israeli “friend in enemy territory.” Only three member-states of the Arab League have normalized relations with Israel, including Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania. Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 under the reign of the liberal Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. BM
