Is Something Really Happening in Egypt?

The almost always reliable MEMRI quotes an oped in the leading Egyptian government paper Al Ahram advocating improved relations with Israel.

“Objective analysis on this matter cannot lead to any other conclusion. It is time to drop the negative attitudes towards Israel, and relations with it. The basic value of the peace accord between Egypt and Israel lies in the fact that it expunges the term ‘prohibition’ or ‘taboo,’ which was created in the past by Arab policies towards Israel, and which turned relations with Israel into an abomination that could not be allowed.”

UPDATE: Another interesting report of the thaw in Israeli-Egyptian relations appears in today’s Haaretz, including this interesting note: One of the reasons for the improved relations is Yasser Arafat’s death, although this will never be admitted publicly.