The Hebrew Israel HaYom newspaper has disclosed that Egypt practiced pressure to have Major-General Amos Gilad returned to his post as an official envoy from the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to negotiate with Egypt about the file of the truce between Israel and Hamas and the efforts to release the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners. Egyptian officials, involved in contacts between Israel and Hamas in Cairo, told the Hebrew newspaper yesterday that Egypt put pressure on Israel to return Gilad to his post after Olmert dismissed him due to his statements to Maariv paper in which he said that Olmert intended to manipulate with the Egyptians and hinder the truce. Egypt threatened that the Gilad's absence will postpone the efforts to free the kidnapped soldier for long months.
The Israeli newspaper added that the Egyptian pressure on the officials in Tel Aviv is contrary to Cairo's official stance, which said that the dispute between Olmert and Gilad is an Israeli internal issue in which Egypt should not intervene. According to the newspaper, an Egyptian high-ranking diplomat said Cairo sent a message to Tel Aviv through diplomatic channels over the past few days saying: "The Egyptian mediators working in the highest security services in Cairo prefer that Gilad should remain as chairman of the Israeli delegation, especially after the convergence of views between the parties in his presence."
In addition, a major source in the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told the paper that Cairo told Tel Aviv unofficially that any change in the persons representing Israel in the indirect talks with Hamas in Cairo might delay any agreement on the truce or the release of the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, as all last navigations will go with the wind. Olmert issued a decree yesterday returning Gilad to his post after the latter went to Olmert's office carrying a letter of apology for his statements to Maariv last Tuesday.
The sharp dispute between Olmert and Gilad led to a sharper dispute between the Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister's Office. The battle moved to the pages of Jewish newspapers, which have been divided into supporters and opponents of both Olmert and Gilad.
