Tel Aviv dismayed over El Arabi's appointment as Arab League Secretary General

In the first Israeli reaction to the appointment of Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Dr Nabil El Arabi, as a replacement for Amr Mussa as the new Secretary General of the Arab League, Israeli media organisations, including certain state outlets, have reported that he had become the leader of 22 Arab States to work against Israel and its interests in the region.
 
Israeli media sources including Ha’aretz, Jerusalem Post, Yediot Ahronot and Israel Radio confirmed that the fears of the government in Tel Aviv over El Arabi’s appointment have become greater than ever due to his history of criticism of the Zionist state. During his tenure at the United Nations, El Arabi accused Israel of causing bloodshed in the region and carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.

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After El Arabi became the Egyptian Foreign Minister following the January 25th revolution, he succeeded in bringing an end to the internal Palestinian split that had persisted since 2006 through the signing of a reconciliation agreement in Cairo. He also promised to permanently open the Rafah border crossing in order to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza who, for more than three years, have endured an Israeli imposed siege by land, sea and air.
 
Israeli media organizations asserted that Dr Nabil El Arabi would, during the coming period, be working toward unifying the Arabs ranks and restoring Egypt’s leadership in the region.  He is also expected to turn over a new page in relations with Iran and other countries and the expression of Egypt’s full support for the Palestinians.