PrintMarch 26, 2009
30 years of Israeli-Egyptian peace
Thirty years ago, amidst optimism and hope, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat shook hands on the White House lawn with a beaming President Jimmy Carter and scores of media looking on. The former two had just signed a peace treaty.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs analyzes the event and subsequent thirty years positively despite the numerous problems and setbacks.
Meanwhile, back in Cairo, Egypt's capital,
"No commemoration is planned in Cairo" for Thursday's anniversary, foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said, in a sign of the cold peace that still reigns between the two neighbors amid widespread popular opposition to the treaty in Egypt.
"Popular opposition" is an understatement as the media is saturated with anti Israel, anti Jewish statements both official and unofficial. And although this does reflect negatively on the Arab/Muslim world's desire for real peace, as some have noted, a cold peace is better than a hot war.
Perhaps their mind set will slowly transition towards less hostile attitudes and actions but at present it seems to be lurching towards hatred and war.
