Egyptian Security Chief General Omar Suleiman is visiting Israel on Wednesday for high-level meetings with the new administration. He begins his day with a meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a familiar face from the previous cabinet. He will then meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and close the day with a meeting with President Shimon Peres.

On Wednesday morning, senior officials reported that a meeting with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is questionable, even unlikely; explaining that no time has been set. The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday morning declined comment, perhaps signaling there will not be a meeting.

The meetings will touch on a matter of issues including a long-term ceasefire with Hamas in the hope of halting rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israeli townships and cities. The matter of a prisoner release deal will also be discussed as IDF soldier Gilad Shalit remains captive.

Tensions have been rising between Cairo and the new foreign minister, who has in the past expressed his disapproval of Egyptian policies pertaining to Israel, resulting in a diplomatic ban of the foreign minister by Cairo.

Interestingly, it appears the prime minister is willing to permit this to pass and he will permit ‘business as usual’ during Suleiman’s visit despite the fact the foreign minister is being spurned. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has recently stated that Lieberman is unwelcome in his country for as long as he does not change his views.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)