BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that despite Friday’s rioting and storming of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, the Israeli government wants to return its ambassador and staff to Egypt as soon as possible. In the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday, Netanyahu said, “Israel is in contact with the Egyptian government regarding the necessary procedures for returning our ambassador so that he and his staff will be properly secured, so that they might continue to maintain Israel’s representation in Cairo.” Senior officials say that Israel needs to act quickly in restoring diplomatic ties in order to avoid the situation getting worse and the possibility of not being able to send an ambassador back to Egypt.

Meanwhile, Egyptian police on Sunday arrested 92 suspects for their involvement in the riots outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Rioters and protesters stormed the Israeli embassy on Friday and smashed down security walls and climbed up the building, while 6 Israeli security guards were still inside the embassy. The tense situation was resolved through efforts by PM Netanyahu and an intervention by US President Barack Obama in order to get Egyptian commandoes to free the embassy staff.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday strongly condemned the attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Cameron called for the full protection of diplomatic rights and property. “We have urged the Egyptian authorities to meet their responsibilities under the Vienna Convention to protect diplomatic property and personnel, including the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. They have reassured us that they take these very seriously,” Cameron said.

In connected news, shots were fired on Sunday night from Egypt across the border at an IDF vehicle traveling near the site of last month’s terror attack. No one was injured in the latest shooting and the IDF did not identify the source of the shooting and therefore did not return fire. The IDF are on a high state of alert along the Egypt-Israel border following last month’s attack that left 8 Israelis dead. Several intelligence warnings have revealed efforts by terrorist cells to cross over the Egypt border into Israel to carry out attacks.