Egypt Adds to Israel's Woes

::jseblod::onislam_article::/jseblod::::onislamarticleaction::::/onislamarticleaction::::artpretitle:: ::/artpretitle::::artsubtitle:: ::/artsubtitle::::artseries:: ::/artseries::::artlead::Adding to its diplomatic woes, a recent tension with Egypt following a deadly cross-border attack is leaving Israel ever more isolated in the Middle East.::/artlead::::artepigraph:: ::/artepigraph::::artbody::OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – Adding to its diplomatic woes, a recent tension with Egypt following a deadly cross-border attack is leaving Israel ever more isolated in the Middle East. "Israel needs to learn that it is facing a different Middle East," Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern studies in Tel Aviv, told Reuters. Tension rose between Egypt and Israel after three Egyptian soldiers were killed in an Israeli border attack in Sinai on Thursday. Cairo has demanded an Israeli apology and said it was recalling its ambassador from Israel. Scrambled to head off a diplomatic crisis in the heavyweight Arab country, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that Israel regrets the killings. "Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers," Barak said in a statement. The row comes days after renewed verbal barbs between Israel and its one-time ally Turkey, which is still fuming over the deaths of nine Turks last year when Israeli commandos stormed a boat trying to break the blockade of Gaza. Turkey is demanding an apology for the incident, something Israel is refusing to provide. "Egypt is trying to re-educate Israel and is following the same line as the Turkish foreign policy," said Rabi. Israel pays great attention to its relations with neighboring Egypt. Israel's 1979 peace deal with Egypt has been the cornerstone of its Middle East policy. The treaty has provided Israel much-needed stability to its southern flanks and enables successive leaders to maintain the status quo in the unresolved Palestinian conflict. Egypt's new military leaders are highly unlikely to tear up the Camp David accords, which brought Cairo enhanced security stability and also gave it access to generous Western funds. "Israel must be aware that the days when it kills our children without getting a strong, appropriate response are gone for ever," Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister and ex-Arab League chief, said on his Twitter feed. Wake-up Call Israel's international standing also faces a fresh assault next month when the Palestinians will seek a UN recognition of their independent state. "The real wake-up call will come in September," Alon Liel, former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, told Reuters. "The Palestinians are headed toward a diplomatic Intifada, not a military Intifada." In the heady days following the Egyptian peace deal, hopes were running high for reaching peace between Israel and Arab neighbors. But those dreams have now vanished with analysts believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government have simply decided to by-pass the region and build alliances elsewhere. "They don't expect peace with the Palestinians," said Liel. "They are giving up on the Middle East. They are focusing on eastern Europe. "If you think like that then you can't expect good relations with your neighbors," he told Reuters. As ties with regional neighbors sour, relations with some of Israel's closest allies, including the United States, are not as rosy as they once were. Western diplomats have pinned much of the blame for stalled Palestinian peace talks on Israel, with Washington and European capitals roundly condemning a spurt of recent approvals for settlement building in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) and the West Bank.::/artbody::::artendnote:: ::/artendnote::::artfootnote:: ::/artfootnote::::artmainimage::oimedia/onislamen/images/mainimages/Israel's diplomatic woes.jpg::/artmainimage::::artcaption::The new tension with Egypt is leaving Israel more isolated in the Middle East. (Google)::/artcaption::::artalt:: ::/artalt::::artauthor:: ::/artauthor::::artboximage::::/artboximage::::artinterviewer:: ::/artinterviewer::::artcompiler:: ::/artcompiler::::artreviewer:: ::/artreviewer::::arttranslator:: ::/arttranslator::::artsource::OnIslam & News Agencies::/artsource::::artreference:: ::/artreference::::artlink1::Israel 'Regrets' Egypt Killings ::/artlink1::::artlinkurl1::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/middle-east/453590-israel-regrets-egypt-killings.html::/artlinkurl1::::artlink2::Egypt Recalls Israel Envoy, Wants Apology::/artlink2::::artlinkurl2::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/453577-egypt-recalls-israel-envoy-wants-apology.html::/artlinkurl2::::artlink3::Israel Kills Three Egyptians, Pounds Gaza::/artlink3::::artlinkurl3::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/middle-east/453568-israel-kills-three-egyptians-pounds-gaza.html::/artlinkurl3::::artlink4::Post-Mubarak Egypt Worries Israel::/artlink4::::artlinkurl4::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/middle-east/450981-post-mubarak-egypt-worries-israel.html::/artlinkurl4::::artlink5::Egyptians Want to End Israel Peace Treaty::/artlink5::::artlinkurl5::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/452001-egyptians-want-to-end-israel-peace-treaty.html::/artlinkurl5::::button_submit::::/button_submit::::jseblodend::::/jseblodend::