Israel issues rare apology to Egyptians

CAIRO – Eager to head off a diplomatic crisis with its most important peace partner, Israel apologized to Egypt on Saturday over the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers who were accidentally killed last week during an Israeli military incursion into the Sinai Peninsula.

But even if a deeper fracture was averted by the rare expression of regret, a spat that saw Egypt threaten to recall its ambassador is another sign of the rising ill will between the two key U.S. allies. The episode also reflects how pro-democracy rebellions spreading across the Arab world are creating new realities in the decades-old Mideast conflict.

In Egypt, public opinion has sharpened Cairo’s criticism of Israel since the revolution that swept President Hosni Mubarak from power in February. That’s forcing Israel to recalibrate long-held policies and assumptions about its security, with some critics complaining that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government has been slow to comprehend the changes sweeping the region.

Israeli government officials acknowledged that the old rules in dealing with Egypt may no longer apply to the interim government in Cairo.

“This is probably what the new Egyptian government is going to look like,” said one Israeli government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “They have to follow the beat of the street. For Israel, that means more tumultuous times.”

U.S. officials were in contact with both sides Saturday in an effort to smooth the conflict, which comes at a difficult time for the Obama administration. Relations with the Egyptian government have been strained recently over what the United States has deplored as creeping anti-Americanism, and the White House has clashed repeatedly with the Netanyahu government.

Mubarak kept a cool peace with Israel, muting anti-Israeli sentiment for strategic goals that included combating Islamic extremism and keeping close ties with the U.S. But Egypt’s new ruling military council is sensitive to public opinion and firmly voices its displeasure with Netanyahu’s government.

The latest test of the landmark 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace accord came Thursday, when gunmen killed six civilians and two Israeli soldiers in southern Israel. Israeli forces chased the militants across the border into Egypt, where the Egyptian soldiers were killed, apparently in assaults by Israeli helicopters. Israel says the attackers originally came from the Gaza Strip and infiltrated Israel through the Sinai Desert.

Egypt’s abrupt threat Saturday to recall its ambassador to Israel unless it received an apology startled Israeli officials, who noted that a formal investigation had not yet even confirmed that Israel’s military was responsible for the Egyptian deaths. Netanyahu huddled in emergency meetings Saturday to formulate a response.