Bonus for Arafat: Recall of Egypt’s Ambassador

One must listen carefully to what Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said yesterday when he explained the decision to recall Ambassador Mohammed Bassyouni. This is an “Egyptian decision” by direct instruction of President Mubarak, and there is no point in trying to intervene in an “Egyptian decision,” nor will pressure to change it help, neither from the Israelis nor from the Americans. Indeed Mubarak has already received approval from the American Congress for increased financial aid to Egypt, the ultimate “sign of recognition” for his staunch remaining on the side of peace.

The next sentence by Amr Moussa, who chooses every word very carefully, is no less important: We are recalling our ambassador in response to Israel’s excessive use of force against the Palestinians, but no hasty conclusion should be drawn from this that we are preparing for war or withdrawing from the peace process.

Israel knows that Bassyouni will not return. The ambassador’s bureau on Basel Street in Tel Aviv will be closed for months to come. But Moussa spoke out to calm the worried voices among us, in regard, for example, to Egypt’s military arming. We, emphasized Moussa, are not making the sounds of war. War is no longer in our lexicon.

In the absence of an ambassador, the direct telephone lines between Cairo and Gaza as well as to Ramallah will be in operation. Barak is invited to call Mubarak, though the process will be more complicated and slower than in the past. If Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami calls his Egyptian colleague, he will also receive a response.

More than 20 years following the peace agreement, Egypt does not yet know how to read Israel. And the same is true the other way around. The only one who managed to get to know Israel well was Bassyouni, a graduate of Egyptian intelligence, who worked around the clock here. But it is Mubarak who makes the decisions, not him.

Four Israel prime ministers began their term of office with a working visit to Mubarak: Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu and Barak. Despite this, not one of them was able to totally grasp the “role of Egypt.” Mubarak is the undisputed leader of the Arab world, surrounded by leaders of the next generation, who are weak and preoccupied with problems of survival. Israel has tried to get around Mubarak or decrease his role, while he gave every leader a chance, but kicked up a fuss when he found out that they were operating behind his back or hiding political moves from him.

But it is possible that the recall of Bassyouni, who was the link between the heads of the Israeli government and the presidential palace in Egypt, will open direct channels between Cairo and Jerusalem. Arafat received a “bonus” from Mubarak, and now it will be easier for Mubarak to get him back to the peace process.