American Jewish Committee Dismayed Egypt Bars Israel From Book FairAmerican Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee today criticized the Egyptian government for denying Israel's request to participate in the Cairo International Book Fair, scheduled to begin Jan. 28. The AJC's statement follows: "The American Jewish Committee calls on the Egyptian government to reverse its decision to deny Israel's participation in the Cairo International Book Fair. "Its exclusion from the event is a further troubling signal of Cairo's embrace of harshly anti-Israel attitudes - an embrace which can only sour the climate for regional peace.  "It is simply unacceptable for an Egyptian Minister of Education and Culture to say - as Minister Farouk Hosni was reported to have commented this week - that he 'oppose[s] any cultural normalization with Israel' and will allow Israel's participation in the book fair 'only once there is a just and comprehensive peace and after the implementation of all the agreements with all the Arab states.' "Minister Hosni's remarks and his decision to bar Israel from the book fair represent a significant setback from the process of Arab-Israeli normalization and reconciliation set in motion by President Anwar Sadat two decades ago. We are dismayed that Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, is failing fulfill the spirit of that treaty.
For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org |
 |
Email Article To A Friend |  |
Link to us! |
