Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has decided to use his political weight to persuade Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to prevent an IDF offensive in Gaza, inviting the senior minister to meet with him in Egypt.

It would appear the Egyptian leader decided to invite Livni, and not Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or Defense Minister Ehud Barak. After receiving a telephone invitation from Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Livni has committed to travel to Egypt on Thursday.

Mubarak hopes to tell Livni that if she can prevent an IDF operation in Gaza, he will promise to lower Hamas’ demands for a renewed ceasefire. The Egyptian leader fears rioting in Israel if the IDF attacks Gaza, and the meeting he hopes will also prevent Islamic fundamentalists from identifying him with siding with the Israeli offensive in Gaza, prompting his invitation to Livni. 

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)