Egypt FM: Israel Apologizes for Border Deaths
Israel has apologized to Egypt for the border killings of six policemen in August that sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two neighbors, Egypt's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The policemen were killed on August 18, as Israeli troops hunted down militants who had carried out deadly attacks near the border with Israel.
Their deaths prompted infuriated protesters to storm Israel's embassy in Cairo, forcing the ambassador to leave the country.
"Egypt has indeed received an official message from Israel's defense ministry in which Israel apologizes and expresses it deep remorse," a statement quoted Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr as saying.
The statement said that the apology had satisfied an Egyptian demand.
Late on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack said his government, which had already expressed regret for the deaths, would be willing to apologize.
"Based on the findings of the investigation, Barak decided to apologize to the Egyptians over the death of every Egyptian policeman in the line of duty as the result of Israeli fire," an Israeli statement said.
The announcement came as Egypt helped mediate an elusive prisoner swap between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement that controls Gaza and has held a captured Israeli soldier since 2006.
Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including militants it had refused to set free, in exchange for the soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The Egyptian state news agency MENA said Egyptian intelligence chief Murad Muwafi was a key player in helping seal the deal between Israel and Hamas.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has grown more assertive with its neighbor since a popular revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February, leaving the military in control.
over 12 years
To: Najla: In other words, leave us alone and don't mess with us.
Same applies for Lebanon, same for Hamas, same for Turkey.,
In case of Egypt, Israel apologized due fragile situation in Egypt, as in these days, the shaking government needs support although it was proved that those been shot were collaborating with the terrorist attacked Israel bus and killed 8 people. same crossed the Egyptian border near by to an Egyptian army base and the Egyptian soldiers shot into Israel, not to mention the Egyptian army uniform the attackers had on them,
To remind you also that Lebanon used to be a calm and quiet border with Israel for many years. Its only the fault of Lebanon to allow terror groups acting from its territory against Israel, once Israel being attacked from your side all Lebanon paying price so blame yourself.
Our army is obliged to keep Israel safe.
Your army should do same and not allowing terror groups to act from your soil.
over 12 years
@Danny B
Get your government to withdraw from Lebanes occupied land and Hezbollah won't have any more pathetic excuses to keep it's weapons, threaten you, and us!
You get out, they dissarm, everybody's happy! Hezbollah crap exists because of you!
over 12 years
To: Thepatriot: Lebanese occupied land? where exactly? the UN and Lebanese government accepted the purple line of cease fire.
The villages which are on dispute will be returned to Syria in case of peace treaty as were taken from them not from Lebanon.
Besides that: if Lebanon has a territorial dispute with Israel you can sit to the table and talk, same we did with Jordan and same with Egypt. We don't byte.
We gave back all Sinai a territory 3 times bigger than Israel just for a piece of paper, gave back oil fields and assets, no reason why Lebanon will not act same.
Remember also that terror acts from Lebanon started long time before Hizballa so look for better excuse to blame Israel.
As Israel is just their excuse to take over entire Lebanon and be an Iranian branch in the Med.
over 12 years
Smash,finally you and others show their ugly faces as always getting same sincere regret that Hitler didn't finish his job.
At least we know whom we are facing and you know what,even in a million years there will not be peace with you. as 1st opportunity you will have, we'll find ourselves deep in the sea or hanged like in Iran.
We see what we will face day by day by watching Iraq, Pakistan. Yemen, Sudan Afganistan, the Muslims keep killing each other with great success
So keep on your good job and kill each other and don't tell us the crap that you love Jews but hate Zionists etc. as if it was in your hands we'll all be same gas chamber of hanging tree.
over 12 years
@Danny B
You want our army to protect our territory, yet, your aviation violates it almost daily!
Ehud Olmert had promissed a retirement from the farms (wether syrian or Lebanese) in 2008...too bad he didn't do it. Why didn't he go through with it is the question!?
As for the Hezb, I am sorry but this is your baby boy! I hold you responsible for their creation.
You gave birth to it, we both fed the damned thing!
over 12 years
the zionist information war department has taken all masks and now is openly promoting that shebaa farms is not lebanese.
not only shebaa farms, but also, ghajar, kfar shouba, and 7 villages.
you will return it all, peacefully or will be bombed for months and your army destroyed if necessary but you will return it all.
over 12 years
@habal
bayne wa baynak, do you have a link...a reference...a document... any study that can show that the farms are Lebanese?
In other words, israel can kill arabs, turks, americans and whoever they want just as long as they appologize.