Tawfik Okasha, an Egyptian politician, talk show host and pugnacious provocateur, was expelled from parliament after inviting (and daring to host) Israel’s ambassador for dinner.
Parliament voted to oust the TV personality on Wednesday, days after he welcomed Haim Koren and a few members of his staff to his home in northern Egypt.
Okasha’s expulsion is the latest expression in a mounting political crisis over the meeting. Two days ago, a fellow lawmaker hurled a shoe at Okasha while both were in parliament.
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Over two thirds of the house signed the petition demanding Okasha be expelled. In addition, he is now subject to a committee of investigation formed by Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979 but the bilateral ties remain controversial. The flames of public polemic were fanned by Okasha, who stated that he invited the ambassador to discuss “issues of utmost national sensitivity” such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Okasha is a former member of deposed president Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party; he gained a measure of infamy for his unstinting support of Egypt’s military during the uprising that brought the former leader down.
Despite frequently accusing his opponents of collusion with Israel, Okasha, 49, also applauds Israeli army’s actions in Gaza and has called on its Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran, one of Egypt’s regional rivals.