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The growing tension in Jerusalem-Cairo relations, particularly since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, is absent from Egyptian academic circles. Political hostility apart, on Egyptian campuses and among the intelligentsia, Israel is considered an object of interest and evokes much curiosity, something that would certainly surprise many Israelis.
Nine of the 14 state universities in Egypt, including Al-Azhar Islamic University, have Hebrew departments. Close to 20,000 students study Hebrew at these universities at any given point in time, most in colleges of Middle Eastern Studies. Each year, at least 2,000 students graduate with bachelor's degrees that include the study of Hebrew.
