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Israel and Egypt: 30 Years of Peaceful Relations
Iran Press Kit
Timeline of Israel-Egypt Bilateral Relations
Expert: Dr. Mitchell G. Bard
On March 26, 2009, Israel and Egypt will celebrate 30 years since Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat shook hands and signed a peace agreement on the White House lawn. Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel. The hope was that this agreement would herald a new era of peaceful relations between Israel and her neighbors; however, only Jordan in 1995, has been prepared to formally agree to peace with Israel.
The agreement with Egypt also has yet to meet the expectations raised at the time it was negotiated. Israelis, especially, looked forward to normal relations with Egyptians that would include tourism, trade and other common activities. The enthusiasm of Israelis, however, was never matched by the Egyptians and much of the relationship has been one-sided, primarily from Israel to Egypt. Tensions have also arisen over these three decades due to disagreements over policy and Egypt’s interest in standing with fellow Arabs against Israel in international forums and during disputes between Israel and other Arabs. A longstanding irritant in relations has been President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to visit Israel other than for the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin. Egypt has also withdrawn its ambassador several times to express its displeasure with Israeli policy.
Still, it is impossible to understate the significance of the treaty in changing the geostrategic picture in the Middle East. The decision of the most powerful and influential Arab state to make peace reduced the likelihood of a large-scale Arab-Israeli war, brought Egypt into alliance with the West and helped strengthen the forces of moderation in the region. Israel took a great risk to achieve peace, giving up oil fields, military bases, civilian settlements and a crucial land buffer all for just a promise of peace. Egypt kept its promise.
Israel waited 30 years for an Arab leader to show the courage and vision to make peace. Sadat then went to Jerusalem and now Israel and Egypt have enjoyed 30 years of peace. It took 15 more years before King Hussein showed the same courage and vision and signed the Jordan-Israel peace treaty. Israelis hope they will not have to wait any longer for peace with the rest of their neighbors.
As the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic could put nuclear materials into the hands of terrorists who could strike anywhere.
Timeline of Israel-Egypt Bilateral Relations
Sadat’s Visit to Israel - November 19, 1977
President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel after accepting an invitation by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. During the historic visit, Sadat addressed the Knesset. His speech repeated familiar Egyptian demands, but also contained reassurance that Israel was welcome in the region. His willingness to go to Jerusalem broke a psychological barrier that convince Israelis of his sincerity and ultimately gave them the confidence they could take the risks that would ultimately be required to make peace with Egypt. [1]
The Camp David Accords – Sept. 17, 1978
After 12 days of closed talks between Israeli and Egyptian delegations at Camp David in the U.S., the two sides sign the two-part Camp David Accords. The first section deals with the future of the Sinai Peninsula and peace between Israel and Egypt, and calls for a peace treaty to be signed within three months that stipulates a full Israeli withdrawal from Sinai. The second part outlines a framework for establishing autonomous Palestinians rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [2]
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty - March 26, 1979
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sign a treaty at the White House, witnessed by President Jimmy Carter, requiring both countries to cease hostile activity and to demilitarize the Sinai Peninsula. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel is to withdraw to the pre-1967 border, give up military bases, settlements, roads and the Sinai oil fields in return for normalized relations with Egypt. Meanwhile, all other Arab states denounce the treaty and Egypt is suspended from the Arab League.
Embassies Open – 1980
Israel’s Embassy in Cairo opens in February 1980 and is the first of its kind in any Arab country. Egypt’s Embassy in Israel opens in March 1980. [3]
First Ambassadors Appointed – Jan. 5, 1980
Egypt appoints Saad Mortada as its first ambassador to Israel. Dr. Eliyahu Ben Elissar will be Israel's first ambassador to Egypt. [4]
Egyptian Control of Sinai – April 25, 1982
In accordance with the Camp David Accords, Israel fully completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula. [5]
Sadat Assassinated - October 6, 1981
Muslim extremists assassinate President Sadat. He is succeeded by Vice President Hosni Mubarak who pledges to fulfill the terms of the peace agreement with Israel. [6]
Ambassador Recalled – Sept. 21, 1982
The Egyptian ambassador to Israel, Saad Mortada, was summoned back to Cairo in response to the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in West Beirut. [7]
Economic Ties – 1986-1987
Between 1986 and 1987, Israel became Egypt’s leading oil customer in purchasing about 60 percent of its oil from its neighbor to the south. In 1987, 170,000 Israelis visited Egypt and was the largest number of tourists from any one country. [8]
Nubaseed Agricultural Demonstration Farm - 1987
Through cooperation between Egypt, Israel, and the U.S., the Nubaseed Demonstration Farm opens south of Alexandria, Egypt. This ongoing, cooperative project between the three countries focuses on addressing key agricultural issues with advanced technologies and sharing these new practices with inexperienced farmers in the region. [9]
Mubarak Refuses Meetings with Israeli Leaders – 1989
In early 1989, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak plans a trip to Israel but then announces conditions on his visit, including demands that Israel hold negotiations with the PLO, and the trip never takes place. During his 1989 visit to the United States, the Israelis asked President Mubarak to extend his stay and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. Mubarak declined and continued his boycott of the Israeli Prime Minister through 1989. [10]
Taba Border Agreement – Feb. 27, 1989
Following an international arbitration ruling on the location of the border of the Sinai town of Taba, Israel agrees to turn over the Taba beach resort to Egypt. The agreement also allows tourists traveling from Israel to pass through the Taba border crossing to visit the “Aqaba Coast Area of Sinai.” [11]
Gaza-Jericho Agreement – May 4, 1994
Also known as the Cairo Agreement, Israel and the Palestinians outline Israel's initial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Jericho, as well as the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Although Israel agrees to remove all of its forces from these areas (and later from Palestinian cities in the West Bank), Yasser Arafat's PA fails to meet the security conditions requiring it to crack down on terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. [12]
Cairo Peace Summit – Feb. 2, 1995
Leaders from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the PLO hold a summit meeting in Cairo, reaffirming their determination to achieve a lasting peace in the region. Initiated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and attended by King Hussein of Jordan and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat, the meeting marks the first time that Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sits with all three Arab leaders. [13]
Citrus Imports – July 12, 1995
The Israel Agricultural Ministry announces it will commence importing tens of thousands of tons of citrus annually from Egypt for industrial use. [14]
Funeral of Yitzhak Rabin – Nov. 6, 1995
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attends Yitzhak Rabin’s funeral and delivers a eulogy in his only trip to Israel. He has refused all invitations to visit Israel since that day. [15]
Egypt Assumes Intermediary Role in Peace Talks – June 6, 1997
Israel welcomes Egypt’s efforts to serve as an intermediary with the Palestinians to broker peace and fill the vacuum left by the United States. Published reports in Israel said that Osama el-Baz, senior aide to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was trying to set up a meeting between Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to break the deadlock in the peace talks and bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. [16]
Tourism Peaks – 1999
The flow of Israeli tourists to Egypt reached a high of 415,000 in 1999. Since 2000, there has been a decline in the number of tourists, although visits still take place on an ongoing basis, albeit on a more limited scale. The flow of Egyptian tourists to Israel reached a high of 28,000 in 1995, with 2,500 visitors to Israel in the first half of 2002.
Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum – Sept. 4, 1999
The Sharm el-Sheikh memorandum, signed in Egypt by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat, addresses delayed implementation of the Oslo Accords by Palestinian non-compliance of security obligations and the consequent Israeli refusal to redeploy troops in the face of the growing terror threat. Barak and Arafat reaffirm their commitment to the Oslo Accords peace process and set a new deadline of Sept. 13, 2000, for the completion of the peace talks. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan’s King Abdullah and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright attend the Sharm el-Sheikh ceremony. [17]
Egypt Withdraws Ambassador – Nov. 21, 2000
Egypt announces that it will recall its ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Bassouni, amid ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. [18]
Economic Ties – 2000-2001
In 2000, Israeli exports to Egypt were valued at $58.1 million but dropped 20 percent to $47.1 million in 2001. In 2001, Egypt imported goods (excluding oil and services) to Israel totaled $20 million, a total value that dropped from $20.7 million in 2000. [19]
Anti-Semitic Ramadan Television Series – Oct. 26, 2002
An Egyptian satellite television channel creates a 41-episode series to broadcast nightly through the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with a potential audience in the tens of millions. Producers from the series, “Horse Without a Horseman,” acknowledge that it incorporates ideas from “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” as it traces the history of the Middle East from 1855 to 1917 from the point of view of an Egyptian who fought British occupiers and the Zionist movement. [20] This is just one of many examples of anti-Semitism in the state-run Egyptian media.
Egyptian Anti-semitic Cartoons Printed – Aug. 10, 2003
The Egyptian daily, al-Wafd, printed a set of anti-semitic cartoons that depict Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, as a satanic figure. Prime Minister Sharon is drawn with horns, a tail, and a swastika necktie. In the cartoon he speaks to a group of hook-nosed religious Jews and says, “Quickly, go and build 10 more settlements so we can remove them in front of the cameras.” [21]
Release of Azzam Azzam – Dec. 5, 2004
In response to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s request, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak instructed the relevant Egyptian authorities to work to shorten the sentence of Azzam Azzam, an Israeli convicted of spying and imprisoned in Egypt for eight years. As a gesture of appreciation, Prime Minister Sharon had Israeli authorities release six Egyptian infiltrators from detention and ordered the relevant security authorities to consider the possibility of shortening the prison terms of Palestinian prisoners. [22]
Partial Trade Pact – Dec. 14, 2004
Egypt, Israel, and the United States sign a three-way partial-free trade accord that opens U.S. markets to Egyptian goods produced with inputs from Israel. The agreement is considered the most important economic deal between the two Middle East countries in the last two decades. [23] The pact "will contribute to a just and comprehensive peace," said the Egyptian trade minister at the time. [24]
New Ambassador to Israel – March 17, 2005
Muhammed Assem Ibrahim, Egypt’s new ambassador to Israel, arrived in Tel Aviv. His arrival marked the end of the more than three-year Egyptian protest in response to IDF actions during the intifada. [25]
Natural Gas Deal – June 30, 2005
Egypt and Israel sign a landmark $2.5 billion deal for the sale of Egyptian natural gas to Israel. Egypt agrees to supply 1.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas over a 15-year period via an undersea pipeline from the Egyptian town of el-Arish to the Israeli city of Ashkelon. [26]
Negotiations for Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit’s Release – June 26, 2006
Iran-backed Hamas abducts Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit on June 25, 2006, with the help of two other terrorist groups in which they killed two soldiers and injured four others. [27] Egypt is the primary mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Israel’s campaign for Shalit’s release, starting from the day of his abduction and throughout his captivity. [28]
Philadelphi Deal – August 24, 2005
Israel and Egypt agreed on the deployment of 750 Egyptian security forces along the Philadelphi route on the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent weapons smuggling through the area. In the finalized deal, Egyptians are to refrain from openly transferring weapons to the Palestinians. [29]
Security Cooperation against Gaza Arms Smuggling – Nov. 21, 2007
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agree to step up cooperative intelligence and security measures in order to combat arms smuggling from Sinai into the Gaza Strip. [30]
Six-Month “State of Calm” Agreement – June 19, 2008
A six-month state of calm, separately agreed upon by Israel and Hamas, goes into effect. Brokered by Egypt, the ceasefire aimed to halt all Palestinian rocket fire into Israel and the cessation of weapons smuggling into Gaza by Iran. As part of the agreement, Israel would increase the amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza. During the six-month period, which ended on Dec. 18, Iran-backed Hamas terrorists violate the state of calm, firing 362 rockets and mortars at the civilian population in the southern Negev region. [31]
Egypt Seals Border – Dec. 2008
Egypt closes its border with the Gaza Strip during Israeli Operation Cast Lead and President Hosni Mubarak declares that it would not be open on a permanent basis until conditions agreed upon in 2005 are in place. The border would be open on an emergency basis only to receive those who are wounded and in need of medical treatment. [32] Smuggling tunnels from Egypt to Gaza, that had been in operation for several years and were built as a way around Israel’s economic blockade, continued to operate throughout the armed conflict and were used by Hamas to smuggle in weapons. [33]
Israeli Ceasefire in Gaza – Jan. 17, 2009
Israel declares a unilateral ceasefire to end Operation Cast Lead in Gaza after reaching an understanding with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and securing commitments from the United States and several European states to help stop the rearmament of Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip via Iran and Syria. [34] Hamas rejects Israel’s call for a ceasefire, but announces its own ceasefire 12 hours later. [35] Hamas leaders criticize Egypt for not taking a larger role in aiding Gaza during the Israeli operation. [36]
Trade – 2008
Israel imported $132 million worth of goods from Egypt in 2008, up from $94 million in 2007. Exports to Egypt totaled $139 million in 2008, a decline from $154 million in 2007. [37]
Cooperation to End Arms Smuggling – March 20, 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met and agreed to intensify intelligence and security cooperation to combat smuggling from Sinai into the Gaza Strip. Both sides agreed to hold weekly meetings and step up the activity of joint security committee. They also agreed to pass on relevant intelligence information immediately using a hotline. [38]
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Dr. Mitchell G. Bard
Affiliation: Executive Director, American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise
Field: Israeli history; Israeli-American relations
Tel: +1 (301) -565-3918
Email: mgbard@aol.com
Dr. Mitchell G. Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S.-Middle East policy. Bard is also the director of the Jewish Virtual Library, the world¹s most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture. For three years he was the editor of the Near East Report, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) weekly newsletter on U.S. Middle East policy. Prior to working at AIPAC, Bard served as a senior analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.
Bard has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, CBC, the Jenny Jones Show, and other local and national television and radio outlets. His work has been published in academic journals, magazines and major newspapers. He is the author of 19 books including "The Water's Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy," "Partners for Change: How U.S.-Israel Cooperation Can Benefit America," "Myths And Facts: A Concise Record of the Arab-Israeli Conflict"(coauthor), and "Will Israel Survive?" Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master's degree in public policy from UC Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Footnotes
[1] "1977: Egyptian leader's Israel trip makes history," BBC,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/19/newsid_2520000/2520467.stm ,accessed March 15, 2009
[2] "Camp David Accords," Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Camp%20David%20Accords , accessed March 15, 2009
[3] “Israel-Egypt: A Review of Bilateral Ties,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan. 2003,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign+Relations/Bilateral+relations/Israel%96Egypt-+A+Review+of+Bilateral+Ties.htm
[4] “Modern Israel & the Diaspora (1980-1989),” The Jewish Virtual Library,
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/time80s.html
[5] Ottoway, David, “Egypt Assumes Control in Sinai,” The Washington Post, April 25, 1982. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic,
http://www.lexisnexis.com
[6] “Accompanying Letters to the Treaty of Peace Between Egypt and Israel,” Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://tinyurl.com/dammqp,
accessed March 15, 2009; “Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Israel-Egypt%20Peace%20Treaty . Accessed March 19, 2009
[7] Farrell, William E, “Egypt calls home its envoy to show anger with Israel,” The New York Times, Sept. 21, 1982,
http://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/21/world/egypt-calls-home-its-envoy-to-show-anger-with-israel.html
[8] Bard, Mitchell, “How Fares the Camp David Trio?” Orbis: a Journal of World Affairs, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Spring 1990.
[9] “The Nubaseed Agricultural Demonstration Farm,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Mashav+–+International+Development/Activities/The+Nubaseed+Agricultural+Demonstration+Farm.htm ,
accessed March 15, 2009
[10] Bard, Mitchell, “How Fares the Camp David Trio?” Orbis: a Journal of World Affairs, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Spring 1990.
[11] Brinkley, Joel, “Signing of Agreement With Israel Turns Over Last of Sinai to Egypt,” The New York Times, Feb. 27, 1989,
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEED9123FF934A15751C0A96F948260&sec=&spon
[12] “Agreement On The Gaza Strip And The Jericho Area,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 4, 1994,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Agreement+on+Gaza+Strip+and+Jericho+Area.htm
[13] “Concluding Statement of the Cairo Summit, 2 February 1995,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://tinyurl.com/255pml, accessed March 17, 2009;
Hedges, Chris, “In Cairo, Israel and Arabs Back Peace Talks,” The New York Times, Feb. 3, 1995.
Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic, http://www.lexisnexis.com
[14] Beck, Galit Lipkis, “Citrus to be imported from Egypt,” The Jerusalem Post, July 13, 1995.
Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic, http://www.lexisnexis.com
[15] “Rabin Funeral- Eulogy by Hosni Mubarak,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nov. 6, 1995,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1995/11/Rabin%20Funeral-%20Eulogy%20by%20Hosni%20Mubarak
[16] “New Role For Egypt In Peace Process: In a surprising development,
Israel welcomes southern neighbor's effort to serve as intermediary with Palestinians.” The New York Jewish Week, June 6, 1997,
http://www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=publication:%22The+New+York+Jewish+Week%22&sort=DT&sortdir=D
[17] “The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum - Main Points,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sept. 4, 1999,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Sharm+el-Sheikh+Memorandum-+Main+Points.htm
[18] Demick, Barbara. “Egypt recalls its ambassador to Israel amid continuing Mideast violence.” Knight Ridder Newspapers, Nov. 21, 2000.
http://www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=publication:%22Knight+Ridder%7eS%7eTribune+News+Service%22&sort=DT&sortdir=D
[19] “Israel-Egypt: A Review of Bilateral Ties,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan. 2003,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign+Relations/Bilateral+relations/Israel%96Egypt-+A+Review+of+Bilateral+Ties.htm
[20] Wakin, Daniel J, “Anti-Semitic 'Elders of Zion' Gets New Life on Egypt TV,” The New York Times, Oct. 26, 2002,
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/26/world/anti-semitic-elders-of-zion-gets-new-life-on-egypt-tv.htm l
[21] Clark, Kate, “Interpreting Egypt’s anti-semitic cartoons,” BBC, Aug. 10, 2003,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3136059.stm
[22] “Release of Azzam Azzam,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 5, 2004,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2004/Release+of+Azzam+Azzam+5-Dec-2004.htm
[23] “Egypt, Israel, U.S. sign partial free-trade pact,” The Globe and Mail, Dec. 15, 2004. Retrieved from LexisNexis, Academic,
http://www.lexisnexis.com
[24] International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, “US, Egypt, Israel sign 3-way trade pact;
May fall foul of WTO,” Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, Volume 8, Number 43, Dec. 15, 2004,
http://ictsd.net/i/news/bridgesweekly/7789/
[25] Waked, Ali. “New Egyptian ambassador: sign of peace,” Ynet, March 17, 2005,
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3059616,00.html
“Egypt and Israel sign 15-year natural gas deal,” International Herald Tribune, July 1, 2005,
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/30/business/gas.php
[27] "Two soldiers killed, one missing in Kerem Shalom terror attack," Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, June 25, 2006,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2006/Two+soldiers+killed+one+missing+in+Kerem+Shalom+terror+attack+25-Jun-2006.htm
[28] Hoffman, Gil, Brannon, Josh and JPost.com staff, “Shalit's health better than first feared,” The Jerusalem Post, June 26, 2006,
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1150885856068&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ;
Egyptnews, “France asks Syria to help free
[28] Gilad Shalit,” Egypt News, Jan. 27, 2009,
http://news.egypt.com/en/200901275352/news/world/france-asks-syria-to-help-free-gilad-shalit.html
[29] Bahur-Nir, Diana, “Philadelphi Deal Struck,” Ynet, Aug. 24, 2005,
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3132501,00.html
[30] Ravid, Barak, “Israel, Egypt to step up cooperation on Gaza arms smuggling,” Haaretz, Nov. 22, 2007,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/926587.html
[31] “Behind the headlines: Rocket and mortar fire despite calm in the south,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Behind+the+Headlines-+Calm+in+the+South+19-Jun-2008.htm,
accessed March 17, 2009
[32] “Egyptian Ambassador Offers View on Gaza Violence,” PBS Online, Dec. 30, 2008,
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec08/shoukry_12-30.html
[33] McCarthy, Rory, “Under the border with Egypt, Gaza's smugglers return to work,” guardian.co.uk, Jan. 21, 2009,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/21/gaza-egypt-tunnels-smugglers-israel
[34] “Behind the headlines: Israel holds its fire,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Israel_holds_fire_18-Jan-2009.htm , accessed March 17, 2009
[35] Toameh, Khaled, “Haniyeh: We have achieved victory,” The Jerusalem Post, Jan. 19, 2009,
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232100170713&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ,
[36] Abu-Marzuq, Musa, "Hamas leader comments on Mubarak speech, criticizes Egyptian role,"
Interview with Al-Habib Al-Ghuraybi and Elsie Abi-Asi, Al-Jazeera TV, Jan. 17, 2009.
Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic, http://www.lexisnexis.com
[37] “Israel’s Foreign Trade by Country – February 2009,” Central Bureau of Statistics, (March 18, 2009),
http://www1.cbs.gov.il/www/hodaot2009n/16_09_055e.pdf
[38] Ravid, Barak, “Israel, Egypt to step up cooperation on Gaza arms smuggling,” Haaretz, March 20, 2009,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=926587&contrassID=0&subContrassID=0
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