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Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Upbeat on Egypt Ties
(AP-Washington Post) Brian Rohan - Blast walls, sandbags, and guards ring the Israeli diplomatic compound in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. But inside the Embassy, Ambassador Haim Koren is upbeat when assessing the future. "This is one of the best times we've ever had" in terms of cooperation between governments, said Koren, a veteran diplomat and fluent Arabic speaker. "There's good cooperation between the armies, we have understandings about the Sinai Peninsula, and basically, we see (eye-to-eye) on development of the region." After decades of wars followed by years of an uneasy peace, Israel has emerged as a discreet ally to Egypt's President el-Sissi, who often speaks by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and has helped Israel further isolate the Hamas militants ruling Gaza. "Radical Islamic terrorism emerged from the same root no matter if it happens to be Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra or al-Qaeda," Koren said. El-Sissi "understood quickly that we are all in the same boat."