CAIRO -- A sharp deterioration in Egypt's relations with Israel is further complicating Washington's faltering efforts to move the Middle East peace process forward.
The U.S. has long relied on Egypt as a mediator in the region, most crucially in trying to reconcile rival Palestinian factions. But those efforts are now stalled. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rushed to Cairo to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today - a clear sign of concern that Egyptian and Arab support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts may be waning.
Clinton, who extended her Mideast trip by a day to go to Cairo, arrived at one of the lowest ebbs in three decades of Egyptian-Israeli peace. Over the past month, Egypt has been scaling back its already limited contacts with Israel in an apparent protest over Israel's refusal to halt Jewish settlement in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Egypt has tried to keep Israelis away from several international forums and censured an academic for meeting Israel's ambassador to Cairo. Egyptians have also bitterly blamed Israel for their culture minister's loss of the top post at the U.N. culture agency, UNESCO, and even for attempts by other African countries to grab a bigger share of the Nile's waters.
The deterioration of relations poses another obstacle to the Obama administration's plan for Egypt and other Arab countries to forge a regional peace deal.
Other Arab countries have rejected the U.S. call for small steps toward normalization with Israel that could create a better environment to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Clinton angered Arabs this week when she lauded Israel for what she called an unprecedented offer to curb Jewish settlement on lands Palestinians hope to incorporate in a future state. It was unusually strong praise for Israeli peace efforts without explicitly mentioning any positive acts by the Palestinians.
Arab governments interpreted her comments in Jerusalem as a tilting of U.S. policy toward Israel. On Monday, Clinton issued what she called a clarification, saying her words in Jerusalem were meant as "positive reinforcement" for the Israelis. She said Israel's effort still fell short of U.S. expectations, and strongly praised the Palestinians.
Her decision to extend her Mideast trip with a hastily arranged visit to Cairo, where she arrived late Tuesday, appeared linked to Egyptian concerns about signs of a recalibration of the U.S. approach to the peace process.
