Israel, Egypt Peace Anniversary Observed, Not Celebrated

It has been 30 years since the event history should have marked as one of the most sensational of its time: the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. But since it was signed in 1979, it has become the virtual dictionary definition of "cold peace." On the Israeli side, a government reception was held to mark the anniversary. In Egypt though, references to the historical moment took the form of op-eds published in newspapers. Arguably, the silver lining was that not all voices were negative; some insist the pact was in the best interest of the nation while others complain that Egypt did not benefit as it should have. Nevertheless, analysts at The Media Line point out that the diplomatic involvement of Egypt as mediator between Israel and Hamas and the frequent contacts between Israeli officials and their Egyptian counterparts on an endless variety of issues are examples of benefits of that cold peace. Israeli President Shimon Peres sounded a sober note when he told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a congratulatory phone call that while the peace is not perfect, "it’s one thousand times better than continuing our conflict and war."