Negotiations between Israeli and Egyptian officials over gas export prices stalled amidst heightened diplomatic tension caused by protestors' siege on the Israeli embassy in Giza, a petroleum source reported. The siege forced the Israeli ambassador and his staff to flee to Tel Aviv. Diplomatic ties between the two countries began to seriously fray last month after Israeli forces killed several Egyptian security personnel on the border in the Sinai Peninsula. Negotiations were schedule to resume after Jordanian and Egyptian officials sign a new gas export agreement this month, reported the source, but the recent incident at the Israeli embassy will likely stall those negotiations. Tensions between the two countries remain high.
