Newly appointed Israeli ambassador to Egypt Ori Rotman was disinvited from the accreditation ceremony, where he would have presented his credentials to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, due to the "ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip," according to a Wednesday report by the Qatari-owned news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Egyptian diplomatic sources told the Qatari-owned outlet that "postponing the ambassador's accreditation does not mean a downgrade in diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel, but rather reflects a political position under the extenuating circumstances the region is experiencing."
The sources also told Al-Araby that "Israel is procrastinating in responding to regional and international efforts aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and alleviating the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip" and accused Israel of obstructing existing efforts for a hostage and ceasefire deal.
The report cited the sources saying that "the process of appointing a new Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv remains pending, a clear reflection of the stalemate in relations between Egypt and Israel since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023," with Egypt also claiming that Israel was "uncooperative" in negotiations between the two countries regarding the war in Gaza. Cairo had also spoke of Israel being "uncooperative" through numerous diplomatic channels, including in a conversation between US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty, the report added, saying their call included "clear warnings of the repercussions of continued Israeli intransigence."
The report also accused Israel of breaching the agreement reached with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The ambassador accreditation ceremony took place at the Heliopolis Palace in Cairo on Monday, where Sisi received the credentials of 23 new ambassadors, the Al-Araby report added.
46 years since the Egypt-Israel peace treaty was signed
Rotman's absence at the palace in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday also marked 46 years since the Egypt–Israel peace treaty was signed in Washington, DC, between then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin and then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, making Egypt the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.
Israel submitted a request to appoint Rotman as the ambassador to Cairo in April of last year, but Egypt had delayed approving his credentials, according to Ynet.
The last ambassador to Egypt was Amira Oron, who was the first woman to be approved for the position in 2020. The approval was only made by the cabinet over a year and a half after her appointment was announced. She said last month that Egypt could have assisted in Gaza peacekeeping if Israel agreed to Palestinian Authority civilian management of the enclave.
Lahav Harkov and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.