Cairo has denied reports released by U.S. media that it has accepted the U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Refuting a report by the New York Times Egypt’s State Information Service said President Abdul Fattah al-Sissi has not recognized Ramallah instead of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
The Egyptian authorities added that such reports are “mere allegations” and ones rooted in anonymous and unauthentic sources.
The four persons who have been contacted by the Egyptian officer are identified as: Mufeed Fawzi Saad Hasaseen Yosra and Azmi Mujahed.
According to a Saturday report by the New York Times an Egyptian intelligence officer Capt. Ashraf al-Kholi quietly placed phone calls to the hosts of several influential talk shows in Egypt.
The same source quoted al-Kholi as stating that strife with Israel was not in Egypt’s national interest. He told the hosts that instead of condemning the decision they should persuade their viewers to accept it. Palestinians he suggested should content themselves with the dreary West Bank town that currently houses the Palestinian Authority Ramallah.
“How is Jerusalem different from Ramallah really?” Captain Kholi asked repeatedly in four audio recordings of his telephone calls obtained by The New York Times.
“Exactly that” agreed one host Azmi Megahed who confirmed the authenticity of the recording.
Trump’s decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital broke with a central premise of 50 years of American-sponsored peace talks defied decades of Arab demands that Jerusalem be the capital of a Palestinian state and stoked fears of a violent backlash across the Middle East.
Egyptian state media reported that President al-Sisi had personally protested to Trump. Egyptian religious leaders close to the government refused to meet with Vice President Mike Pence and Egypt submitted a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a reversal of Trump’s decision. (The United States vetoed the resolution although the General Assembly adopted a similar one over American objections days later.)
