Hosni Mubarak

Clinton clarifies settlement stance

In the final stop on her visit to the Middle East and Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday. After commenting on her statement in Jerusalem over the weekend that the U.S. considered Israel's movement on settlements "unprecedented," she assured Arab leaders that the Obama administration is not reneging on demands to halt settlement building.

A Palestinian View: Reviving the peace process?

In the run-up to the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly and the Quartet later this month in New York, the region is witnessing feverish diplomatic activity.

George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, is holding meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, popped down to Cairo for talks with Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has just concluded a tour of several Arab countries.

Winning Back Israel

During his recent meeting with Egypt's President Mubarak, President Obama expressed cautious optimism about the progress being made in the Arab-Israeli peace process. While both presidents noted that there was "movement in the right direction," eight months of American direct engagement in the Arab-Israeli conflict has produced few tangible results.

A Peace Plan for September

Following his meeting with President Obama yesterday in Washington, Egyptian President Mubarak said that the U.S. will present a detailed peace plan for the Middle East in September. This follows claims circulating earlier this month by Defense Minister Barak that Obama would announce an Israel-Palestinian peace plan within weeks.

Early Retirement for Egyptian President Mubarak?

Recently, news has begun to circulate that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will not complete his current presidential term. Media and Israeli intelligence officials have reported that although Mubarak is continuing to attend conferences and diplomatic visits, he appears worn-down and tired.  Upon his early retirement, Mubarak will face the decision of either passing his rule down to his generally disliked son Gamal or holding early elections.

Jacky Hugi in Ma'ariv reports:

Arab Rulers Fear It Will Happen to Them Too

The unrest in Iran throughout the last week not only threatens to dismantle its own political system, but also awaken social protest among millions in the Arab world.  In particular, President Mubarak of Egypt is concerned about his upcoming meeting with Ahmadinejad at the conference of non-aligned nations and the prospects of the Iranian unrest triggering a similar situation in Egypt.

Smadar Peri in Yedioth Ahronoth:

Netanyahu and Mubarak:Tension After Bar Ilan Speech?

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak criticized Binyamin Netanyahu's speech saying that, "the call to recognize Israel as a Jewish state complicates things further and scuttles the possibilities for peace."

In an attempt to alleviate possible Egyptian-Israeli tension, Yediot Acharonoth's Smadar Peri and Itamar Eichner report, Binyamin Netanyahu called Hosni Mubarak last night:

Hosni Mubarak Canceled Visit to Washington

"Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak canceled his visit to Washington at the recommendation of his physicians, who said that he should continue to rest and recover from the death of his grandson," Israel Radio News reports today:

Obama's Middle East Diplomacy Begins

In the course of a single day, the king of Jordan promoted a "57-state solution," in which every Arab and Muslim state from Indonesia to Mauritania would establish ties with Israel, the Israeli prime minister stood by the Egyptian president as they took turns declaring that Israel is ready and able to make peace with the Palestinians, and none other than the pope called for two "homelands," Israel and Palestine, coexisting one with the other.