Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, who visited Israel yesterday and met with Prime Minister Sharon and Foreign Minister Shalom, was attacked yesterday by a mob of Palestinian Authority Arabs when he went to pray on the Temple Mount. They threw shoes at him, yelled "Allahu Akbar," and called him a traitor and a collaborator. Maher briefly fainted after he was apparently hit in the face by one of the shoes, said he could not breathe, and was taken to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, where he was pronounced in good health. Foreign Minister Shalom rushed to visit Maher at the hospital, and Prime Minister Sharon phoned as well.
It is not known if, during yesterday's official meetings, the Israeli officials protested Egypt's lack of action against the arms-smuggling tunnels from Rafiach or its arms buildup way beyond its African needs. Israel was expected to protest, however, the use of Egyptian drones to spy on Israeli defense facilities. Israel has reportedly threatened to shoot down the unmanned aerial vehicles detected in recent weeks over the nuclear research facility at Nachal Sorek and the missile test site at Palmachim. The flights contravene the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt.