Is Israel key to solving Renaissance Dam crisis?
Ousted parliamentarian Tawfik Okasha still faces fierce criticism from his government for getting too close to Israel, in the ongoing Renaissance Dam saga — but could Egypt need Israel more than they are willing to admit?
CAIRO — Some Egyptian water experts say ousted parliament member Tawfik Okasha endangered the country’s national security by meeting Feb. 24 with Israeli Ambassador Haim Koren in Cairo to discuss the construction of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Parliament members voted overwhelmingly March 2 to revoke Okasha's membership for discussing the project with Israel. Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been trying for more than 1½ years to navigate their numerous disagreements over the dam’s construction and how it will affect Egypt’s water supply.
Former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Nasreddin Allam told Al-Monitor that Egypt’s negotiator in the Renaissance Dam process is well aware of Israel’s role in supporting the construction of the Renaissance Dam — as well as its role in disrupting ongoing negotiations.
“Israel plays a pivotal role in the crisis, [but] given its water and political ambitions, it is not in Egypt’s best interests to have Tel Aviv as a mediator in the negotiations — as [Israel] remains, in the end, a strategic enemy of Egypt,” Allam said.
