CAIRO — Israel “deeply regrets” the deaths of Egyptian security forces who were killed last week in the pursuit of gunmen who had carried out a deadly ambush on the Israeli side of the restive border region, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday.
Barak said Israel and Egypt would conduct a joint inquiry to clear up the disputed circumstances surrounding the battle that left at least three Egyptian policemen dead and several wounded hours after eight Israelis were killed in an ambush reportedly carried out by Palestinian militants who had breached the border from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The cross-border incident has plunged the neighbors into their worst diplomatic trouble in a decade. It suggests a much colder peace now that a popular uprising has forced former President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime Israeli peace partner, from power.
Egyptian protesters seeking to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel rejected Barak’s statements, saying it wasn’t a full apology. They urged a tougher response from Egypt’s ruling military council.
The interim Egyptian government said Saturday that it would recall its ambassador to Israel over the incident but appeared later to backtrack, with officials telling the al-Jazeera news network that the matter was still under review.
Former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Shalom Cohen paid a brief visit to Cairo on Saturday, meeting with Foreign Ministry officials before returning to Israel. The Arab League also planned an emergency session to address the crisis.
Separately, Israeli officials said there was “concern” over the rapid escalation in tensions between Egypt and Israel.
“It is not in Israel’s interest to have a conflict with Egypt. We consider them an important ally and hope to continue the good relations that have been the building blocks in Israel’s diplomatic relations across the region,” said one high-ranking defense official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A meeting among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday afternoon resulted in the joint Israeli and Egyptian effort to probe the deaths of the Egyptian policemen.
“By working together, we also help to mend the bridges, to calm tempers that have flared this week,” said the defense official. “We need Egypt’s continued assistance in maintaining calm in Sinai and Gaza.”
