I am an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian who obtained doctorates in Scotland and England and lectured at a premier Egyptian university. For the past 50 years, I've lived in the US, where I obtained additional doctorates. Because of my background, I've experienced first-hand how exposure to different cultures, high-level training and education, and cooperation around areas of mutual interest can build bridges of understanding and peaceful coexistence. For this reason, I have come to view overt cooperation between Egypt and Israel as a win-win situation for the two countries.
Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1952 coup, which overthrew King Farouk, launched Egypt into a tumultuous period that included Israel's dramatic victory in the 1967 Six-Day War and the October 1973 war in which Egypt demonstrated its capacity to strike back at Israel. That war ultimately led to the peace treaty signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1979. To date, peace between Egypt and Israel has been honored for 40 years.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The recent cooperation between Israeli and Egyptian intelligence forces in Sinai attests to the fact that partnership between the two countries is beneficial to both. Such cooperation, however, has been (reportedly) covert and has barely spread to nonmilitary projects, despite the need for openness in both countries. This cautiousness is understandable given the conspiracy theories involving Israel (and the US) that are rampant in Egypt's media and among its people.
At the same time, expressions of anti-Semitism, which previously declined significantly in Western countries, have been rising steadily in recent years.
While we cannot overcome the challenges and reverse these trends immediately, we must not allow hatred to fester and infect many more minds. In Egypt, confronting anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hostility will require careful, thoughtful planning and the involvement of many parts of Egyptian society, including its media and religious leaders.
Israel has spectacularly flourished in a deeply unfriendly neighborhood, with significant hostility from Iran, Turkey, and Egypt. Iran is and will continue to be Israel's main enemy, Turkey supports extremist Sunni forces throughout the region. By contrast, Egypt could become Israel's main partner not only in sharing intelligence and fighting extremism but also in enhancing its position in the world and, in due time, negotiating with various Palestinian factions.
Marrying Israel's know-how, experience, and innovation with Egypt's abundant cheap manpower (Egypt's per capita gross domestic product is about 6% of Israel's) and its hunger to excel after generations of decline and a looming water crisis, promises to bear fruit for both countries.
Of course, cooperation to enhance security and stability will remain paramount. However, imagine the dividends in the not-distant future in tourism and trade if you combine Egypt's and Israel's abundant antiquities, beautiful beaches, delicious cuisines, and rich histories as cradles of civilization and of the world's main monotheistic religions.
Cooperation with Israel's first-rate universities and advanced hospitals could give Egypt's educational and medical facilities a significant boost. Egypt's youth are thirsty for the knowledge, training, and skills that would maximize their productivity. Moreover, because the rapidly increasing populations of Ethiopia and Sudan need more Nile water for their own agriculture and development, Egypt – which is downstream – must learn to use the river wisely. Water conservation, reclamation, purification, distribution, and irrigation techniques, as well as desalination plants on the Mediterranean, are needed to ensure that Egyptians have access to abundant, clean drinking water. Israel is the most experienced country on earth in water technology.
Unfortunately, an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace seems far off. But ultimately, the time will come when a new Palestinian leadership realizes that Israel is a mature, respected country and a potential ally to them. Egypt could then play a pivotal role in bringing the sides together in mutual acceptance and productive coexistence.
In a world accustomed to thinking in zero-sum terms – where one side's gain is another side's loss – the time has come for a win-win proposition. But the successful implementation of cooperative Israeli-Egyptian ventures requires working diligently on the building of mutual trust. Such ventures would directly benefit both countries and, as a secondary dividend, reduce anti-Semitism and other forms of extremism and contribute to regional peace.
