Egypt to halt annual Israeli pilgrimage

[xchrom]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/2012111133633643221.html

Egypt has told Israel it would not be "appropriate" for Israeli pilgrims to make an annual visit to the tomb of a 19th-century Jewish holy man in the Nile Delta, officials say.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had notified Israel two months ago that it would be "impossible to hold the annual ceremony because of the political and security situation in the country", an official said on condition of anonymity.

Ceremonies at the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abu Hatzira have generated yearly political controversy in Egypt throughout most of the last decade.

Several cases have been filed in court demanding that it end.

[azurnoir]

1. This is not the first time Israeli's have been barred they were in 2001,2004, and 2009 also

from the article

n 2001 and 2004, two court orders banned the ceremony after opponents filed legal challenges.

Since then, both Delta residents and activist groups have denounced the ceremony. Locals complain of harassment by security forces deployed to protect the pilgrims.

Activists oppose the normalisation of relations with a country that Egypt fought in four wars between 1948 and 1973. In 2009, Egypt officially denied the pilgrims entry because the anniversary fell while Israel was conducing an offensive in Gaza.

A year later, the Israeli press reported that Hosni Mubarak, the deposed president, accepted a request from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to lift the limits on the number of pilgrims.

[King_David]

2. That is some peace treaty nt

[vminfla]

3. You ain't seen nothing yet

Peace treaties are made to be declared null and void by a militaristic regime rising in power in Egypt at anytime.