CAIRO: Egypt will gradually return to its position of prestige in the Middle East as it has abilities that cannot be neglected or ignored, said Mohammad Irani, the former Iranian ambassador to Jordon. “Egypt's tolerance of Israel has changed six months after the successful January 25 Revolution that ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,” Irani told Iranian Diplomacy, citing the ongoing multi-party demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Egyptians demanded an apology from Israel over the killing of Egyptian security personnel along the Israeli—Egyptian border last month, he added. Over the last 40 years, Iranians never saw Egypt take such severe measures with Israel, like summoning the Egyptian ambassador in Tel Aviv or threatening to boycott relations with Israel over attacks in the Gaza Strip, Irani continued. “Israel took advantage of Egyptian silence and launched a 33-day war with Lebanon in 2006, but today is different – there is no dictator to sell gas,” he said. The Egyptian people not only brought down the Israeli flag from the embassy, they also called for the boycotting of political and economic relations with Israel, he added. The agreement to allow more troops in the Sinai Peninsula is the most significant Israeli response to Egyptian anger, said Irani, adding that Egypt's sovereignty will ultimately prevail despite the Camp David treaty signed in 1979.
