Egypt appoints first ambassador to Israel in three years
"President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a republican decree appointing new diplomats abroad which included … Ambassador Hazem Khairat … as Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv," state news agency MENA reported on Sunday. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made the announcement at a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Jerusalem, calling it “an important piece of news.” The last ambassador was recalled by ousted President Mohamed Morsi over Israel's 2012 operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ambassador Khairat’s last two postings were as Egypt’s former permanent representative to the Arab League, and then as ambassador to Chile. Sources in Cairo say he will take up his post in September. His appointment is another mark of the cordial relations which President Sisi and PM Netanyahu have maintained for some time, often at the clandestine level.