Egypt Is Focus As Clinton Visits Israel After Nearly Two Years

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli officials will discuss on Monday Egypt’s political upheaval, Iran’s nuclear program and the stymied Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Making her first trip to Israel in 22 months, and only her fourth visit as secretary of state, Clinton’s talks will focus first and foremost on the political transition in Egypt, where the Islamist President Mohamed Mursi took office two weeks ago.

The downfall of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last year has raised questions among Israelis about whether Egypt, the first Arab nation to have made peace with Israel, will adhere to that treaty under his Islamist successor.

Clinton flew to Israel from Egypt, where she held talks on Saturday with Mursi, a former Muslim Brotherhood member, who told her Egypt will respect its international treaties.

She also saw Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of the military council that took over when Mubarak was ousted and that is vying for influence with Mursi.

“At the top of it (her agenda) will be her impressions and assessment of the last two days that she spent in Egypt,” a senior U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

“She is bringing a very calming message,” Danny Ayalon, the Israeli deputy foreign minister, told Israel Radio. “By their (the U.S.) reckoning as well, Egypt’s agenda, and certainly President Mursi’s agenda, will be a domestic agenda.”

“He has to rehabilitate the economy there … internal challenges that are really of utmost importance,” Ayalon added. “There is no change (on Egypt’s commitment to the peace treaty) and in my estimate there will not be in the foreseeable future.

Reuters