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Enhancing Egyptian-Israeli Ties
(Cipher Brief) Haisam Hassanein - Nearly 40 years after the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, popular sentiment in Egypt towards Israel remains negative. According to a recent report by the Middle East Monitor, 89% of Arabs view Israel as the major threat to the region, on a par with ISIS and higher than the 72% who had a negative view of Iran. The Trump Administration should stress enhancing the normalization of relations between the two countries. An important step for Egypt would be for the government to make tourism to Israel possible without requiring that individuals obtain permission from the country's intelligence and security apparatus. Egypt has Hebrew departments at 13 universities, but the graduates from these programs are not allowed to travel to Israel. Few Egyptian businessmen have been allowed to partake in business dealings with Israel, even though, for example, Israel's tremendous experience with water technology could be very beneficial for Egypt. Easing these restrictions and enhancing normalization between the two countries would help promote Egypt-Israel relations. The writer is a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.