‘THE TRAVELLER WITHIN’ BLOG: CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF ‘PEACE’: ON EGYPT’S NATIONAL SCHIZOPHRENIA TOWARDS ISRAEL

In his latest blog post, Mo-ha-med reflects on the thirtieth anniversary of the Egypt-Israel peace agreement, summarizing current attitudes in Egypt as economic and political accords, smiling handshakes on the one hand, with constant expressions of dislike, defiance and distrust on the other.  While Israelis may drive freely into the Sinai and can easily obtain a visa to the rest of the country, Egyptians visiting Israel are heavily discouraged by their own authorities, and scorned at upon their return.

In terms of interests, two main reasons compel Egypt to maintain friendly relations with Israel. The first is that Egypt simply cannot afford to have a troubled north-eastern border – more so than it currently is. Nor can it afford to engage in diplomatic hostilities, let along military skirmishes with Israel: they’d be in Cairo by tea-time.

The second is the very consequential financial incentive – bribe, really – that Egypt receives from the Americans to maintain its peace treaty, making it the second largest recipient of Washington’s largesse after Israel.

Question to the Blogosphere:  What do you think Egypt’s relationship with Israel should look like?  Can the economic interdependence of these two countries lead to more social peace in the future?  What do you think will happen to Israeli-Egyptian relations after Mubarak leaves power?  What should the role of the U.S. be in facilitating relations between Israel and Egypt?  Are the connections between the two countries made weak because of prejudices and mistrust on both sides?