Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Yasser Reda has declined an iftar invitation by Israeli President Shimon Peres and sent his deputy instead.
Reda told Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr that the former expressed to Peres his regrets for the Egyptian soldiers who died in the Israeli border attack on Thursday, and hoped the crisis would be resolved in a way acceptable to Egypt.
The deaths took place when Israeli forces crossed the Egyptian border into Sinai in pursuit of militants who killed eight Israelis. The militants had apparently crossed into Israel from Sinai.
“In the realm of diplomacy, an ambassador sending his deputy to an official event is a sign of disapproval, especially when the ambassador is not out of the country,” said former Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Bassiouny.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
