Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit announced Thursday that he will not shake hands with newly-appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman until the latter apologizes for statements that, according to Gheit, insulted Egypt.
"Whoever insults the dignity of Egypt must face the consequences,” Gheit said in an interview with Al-Mehwar television.
Before being appointed FM, Lieberman angered Egypt by suggesting that if Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was unwilling to visit Israel, he could “go to all the winds” -- a Hebrew expression roughly equivalent to “go jump in a lake,” or in more blunt terms, “go to hell.” Senior Israeli officials have frequently visited Egypt, but the visits have rarely been reciprocated.
Lieberman also suggested that the Aswan Dam could be a target if Egypt were to go to war with Israel.
The comments, and Lieberman's subsequent appointment to the Foreign Ministry, led Egypt to threaten to boycott a ceremony marking 30 years of peace between Egypt and Israel.
Lieberman reached out to Egypt in his first speech as Foreign Minister earlier this week, praising the country as a strategically and a key component of a stable Middle East. The statement failed to mollify the Egyptian foreign ministry, which released a statement saying Egypt “did not need any party to recognize its position.”
The ministry's statement also mentioned Lieberman's remarks regarding the Annapolis Conference, which he said did not bind the new Israeli government as the previous government had never ratified it, nor had the Knesset. Egypt referred to the statements as “unfortunate” and a “setback.”
The new foreign minister did express commitment to the 2003 Roadmap plan, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian Authority state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, but which also calls on the PA to begin the process by ending its support for terrorism.
Lieberman is unpopular elsewhere in the Arab world as well. Leaders in the PA and Syria have accused him of being racist and uninterested in peace, due in part to his demand that all Israeli citizens demonstrate loyalty to the state – a stance seen by many Arabs as discriminating against Israeli Arabs.
Livni: Lieberman Erasing Years of Effort
Former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, head of the opposition, was furious Friday over Lieberman's remarks and his poor relationship with Egypt. Lieberman “erased years of efforts to advance the peace process in 20 minutes,” she claimed.
The Kadima chairwoman also criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, saying he should have publicly and directly announced that he does not agree with his foreign minister. Netanyahu's only response to Lieberman's controversial introductory speech was to reaffirm his commitment to the creation of a PA state.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was critical of Lieberman's speech as well, and accused the foreign minister of harming Israel's image in the international community.