- Eye on IOF
- September 27, 2009
- 3 minutes read
Egypt: Meeting between journalist Hala Mustapha and, Israeli ambassador Shalom Cohen stirs storm.
Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Shalom Cohen’s visit this week to state-run al-Ahram’s offices stirred a storm in the country, as some claimed this was part of "normalization of ties with Israel". Angered journalists from The Egyptian Journalists Association went so far as to demand Hala Mustafa the reporter and editor of the magazine "Democracy" that met with him, be fired.
A source surprised with the angry responses has stressed that "We regret the conduct of the Egyptian associations, which continue to harm any initiative meant to promote ties between the peoples, and this was actually in the Palestinian people’s favor".
Mustafa stressed that there was nothing out of the ordinary in her meeting with Cohen, and that she had received authorization from her superiors and that Egyptian journalists meeting with Israeli bodies all the time.
The incident began following Ambassador Cohen’s initiative to organize a seminar on whether the issue of normalization of ties with Israel could be used to promote the Palestinian issue.
Makram Mohammed Ahmed, head of the journalist association, asserted that "We will not tolerate any deviation from the journalistic consensus, which opposes normalization with Israel." The consensus stipulates that no "Israeli" is to enter the building or meet with any of the press.
The journalists’ association council will convene later this week "to make a decision in the matter". Diyaa Rashwan Member of the Ahram newspaper’s board committee has stated that Hala Mustafa may be asked to hand in her resignation as chief editor of the magazine "Democracy" in an attempt to pacify offended parties and as a solution to end the chaos caused by her for meeting with the Israeli ambassador.