Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar visited Cairo Aug. 21 and met with the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel. The visit came on the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and Egypt, following Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raids in the West Bank city of Nablus.
Israel did not foresee this rise of tensions. In fact, many in Israel’s security system believed that the quick ending of Operation Breaking Dawn in Gaza Aug. 7 would reinforce the already strong cooperation between Jerusalem and Cairo. In reality, things developed differently. When Operation Breaking Dawn ended, Israel shifted its military efforts, focusing on arresting West Bank Palestinians suspected in supporting terrorist acts and groups. These recent Israeli raids and arrests of Palestinians in the West Bank greatly angered Cairo.
