Ephraim Dowek - Israeli-Egyptian Relations, 1980-2000

ISRAELI-EGYPTIAN RELATIONS 1980-2000

CASS SERIES: ISRAELI HISTORY, POLITICS AND SOCIETY
Series Editor: Efraim Karsh
ISSN: 1368-4795

This series provides a multidisciplinary examination of all aspects of Israeli history, politics and society, and serves as a means of communication between the various communities interested in Israel: academics, policy-makers, practitioners, journalists and the informed public.

Israel: The First Hundred Years (Mini Series) , edited by Efraim Karsh.

Ephraim Dowek

Foreword by Yitshak Shamir

First Published in 2001 in Great Britain by
FRANK CASS & CO. LTD

Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informabusiness

Copyright 2001 Ephraim Dowek

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:

Dowek, Ephraim
IsraeliEgyptian relations, 19802000.
(Cass studies in Israeli history, politics and society; 13)
1. Egypt Foreign relations Israel 2. Egypt Foreign relations 19523. Israel Foreign relations Egypt
I. Title
327.5'694'062

ISBN 978 0 714 651620

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

A catalog record of this book is available from the Library of Congress

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher .

ISBN: 978-1-315-03884-1 (eISBN)

Ephraim Dowek's book IsraeliEgyptian Relations comes at the right time. It brings to the reader an accurate and detailed description of the numerous and unceasing efforts to build, consolidate and preserve peace between Egypt and Israel.

Israelis certainly remember the euphoria that, Some 20 years ago, overtook almost everyone in Israel when President Anwar A1 Sadat landed at Ben Gurion Airport and appeared on the staircase of the plane. We all thought that it was the end of wars and that an era of peace and peaceful coexistence had arrived. Here, we can read the whole story, A story that is still far from having reached its conclusion. The struggle for peace continues and the victory of real, genuine peace is yet to come.

Ephraim Dowek is highly qualified to present to the public all the stages, the ups and downs, the victories and the setbacks of this exhilarating saga. He was born and educated in Egypt, he has a thorough knowledge of the country and its people and is well versed in all aspects of Egyptian reality and outward behavior as well as in the hidden sides of Egyptian policies. He served in Egypt for five years as an Israeli diplomat, first as minister plenipotentiary and later as ambassador. In the book he relates, in a most vivid manner, all that occurred during this period. In spite of the difficulties and obstacles he encountered, he fulfilled his duties with dedication and skillfulness. He made the utmost effort to succeed in the mission entrusted to him, that of promoting co-operation and understanding between the two peoples and the two governments. His approach is absolutely realistic; he shows no inclination to distort the facts he has personally witnessed. In his writing, one can feel that, despite his strong belief in peace and his ambition to show that this goal is attainable and that obstacles can be removed, he is very careful as a person trained to report truthfully - not to deviate from accuracy and rationality.

His depiction of the work of Israel's dedicated representatives in Egypt is not heartening. All the fields of their many activities are thoroughly reviewed including relations with the authorities, economic ties, tourism, cultural co-operation, the struggle for normalization and social life. Everything is there; no field has been neglected and, to our great sorrow, one cannot perceive any spectacular success or real breakthrough in any of these fields.

The reason for this sail situation does not lie only in objective difficulties. The heavy hand of Egyptian bureaucracy is clearly felt. It openly interferes everywhere, scatters artificial obstacles and prevents normal relations from developing. It takes strong preventive action whenever it feels that things might move in the right direction. Not even a beginning of genuine understanding and co-operation has developed through the years. The Israeli diplomats speak with sad irony about the 'daily ration of venom they have to swallow' when reading Egyptian newspapers and magazines. From the first day, the Egyptian intelligentsia banned any interaction with Israel and the ban is strictly implemented under the vigilant eye of the various professional associations. Moreover, any attempt to develop friendly relations with other Arab countries is swiftly and openly countered. This attitude is unacceptable and frustrating. Even foreign diplomats are reluctant to maintain social or professional relations with their Israeli colleagues, fearing that this might impair their relations with the local population and government officials.