Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, is not wanted in Egypt. “I do not believe that Lieberman will set foot on Egyptian soil as long as he remains with the positions that we saw in the past,” Aboul Gheit told the state-run Russian television station Russia Today.
“When a person says things he must be aware that the messages that travel from the brain to the tongue will have repercussions,” Aboul Gheit said. He added that his government would conduct contacts with the Israeli government, but not with Lieberman.
Aboul Gheit voiced displeasure with the entire Israeli government, however. Binyamin Netanyahu’s new coalition is a “very radical” one, he said. “The people in the government speak of war and refusing peace solutions, and refusing all of the agreements that have been reached and they are moving towards extremism and confrontation,” he added. “In light of this, we are following their behavior and that of the new American administration and the international community, and how they regard the actions of the new Israeli government.”
Two weeks ago, an Egyptian parliamentarian from the Muslim Brotherhood, identified as an extremist Muslim bloc, presented a bill that would bar Lieberman from entering the country. “The Egyptian side should announce to the entire world that it refuses to let this creature enter our land,” said the lawmaker, Hussein Ibrahim.
Lieberman has aroused the ire of Egyptians with statements that were seen as disparaging of President Hosni Mubarak and threatening. Among these was a statement to the effect that, if Mubarak doesn’t want to visit Israel, he can “go jump in a lake.” Earlier this month, Aboul Gheit said that he would not shake Lieberman’s hand until he apologizes for the statements.
In response to Aboul Gheit's interview, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) told Walla Israel online news, “If Egypt’s Foreign Minister thinks that Lieberman will change his views in order to enter Egypt, he is mistaken. Lieberman represents the nation and the State of Israel, and his positions are [determined] according to what is good for the State of Israel.”
Rotem furthermore denied that additional tensions would result from Lieberman’s policies. “There won’t be tensions with anyone when Lieberman explains his policies and they will understand them.”
Lieberman himself said "no comment" about Aboul Gheit's remarks, according to Voice of Israel government-run radio.