Photo: Reuters
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Yasser Othman, the Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, said Wednesday that there is still tension in Egyptian-Israeli relations after the killing of five Egyptian soldiers last week.
“We want a clear, strong apology and a pledge to not to repeat such acts in the future,” he said.
It was not enough that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres expressed regret for the incident, Egypt's cabinet said.
The Eilat attacks had nothing to do with Egypt, Othman said, and investigations are ongoing on both sides.
Egypt had "forbidden" Israel from launching a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, he added.
“The Egyptian side has felt after the Eilat operation that Israel intends to [get] revenge,” so Egypt has sent a strong message to Israel saying it won’t allow an operation to take place.
Israel did not launch a large-scale operation because they fear the Egyptian people’s reaction, Othman added.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian-brokered halt to recent violence appeared to be holding despite sporadic rocket fire from Gaza and an airstrike that killed a member of Islamic Jihad's military wing late Tuesday.
The truce was announced Sunday evening following four days of violence sparked by a series of shooting ambushes near Eilat in southern Israel on Thursday in which eight Israelis died.
Israeli airstrikes have killed 15 Palestinians, 12 of whom have been identified as militants, and more than 50 people were wounded since Thursday. Among those killed was PRC chief Kamal al-Nayrab.
During this time Palestinians fired more than 100 rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities in the south, killing one man and injuring more than 20, one critically.
“We want a clear, strong apology and a pledge to not to repeat such acts in the future,” he said.
It was not enough that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres expressed regret for the incident, Egypt's cabinet said.
The Eilat attacks had nothing to do with Egypt, Othman said, and investigations are ongoing on both sides.
Egypt had "forbidden" Israel from launching a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, he added.
“The Egyptian side has felt after the Eilat operation that Israel intends to [get] revenge,” so Egypt has sent a strong message to Israel saying it won’t allow an operation to take place.
Israel did not launch a large-scale operation because they fear the Egyptian people’s reaction, Othman added.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian-brokered halt to recent violence appeared to be holding despite sporadic rocket fire from Gaza and an airstrike that killed a member of Islamic Jihad's military wing late Tuesday.
The truce was announced Sunday evening following four days of violence sparked by a series of shooting ambushes near Eilat in southern Israel on Thursday in which eight Israelis died.
Israeli airstrikes have killed 15 Palestinians, 12 of whom have been identified as militants, and more than 50 people were wounded since Thursday. Among those killed was PRC chief Kamal al-Nayrab.
During this time Palestinians fired more than 100 rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities in the south, killing one man and injuring more than 20, one critically.
Maan News Agency
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