With the High Holy Days just ahead, these are days for forgiveness. So maybe it is the right time to shed light on a different side of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak, who was released from prison last week (ahead of another pending trial) and was a friend of Israel's for many years.
One of Mubarak's most memorable humanitarian gestures took place during the presidency of Ezer Weizman in the 1990s. Mubarak gave Israel permission to search Egyptian territory for the bodies of Israeli soldiers missing from the 1973 Yom Kippur War, opening an unlimited time window to find the remains of loved ones who fell during that war on land, in the air and at sea. In addition to being a military leader and a statesman, Mubarak showed the sensitive human side of a commander who understood the emotions of the families of the missing soldiers who fought against the Egyptians.
The gesture was the natural result of the excellent relations between Mubarak and Weizman. At the end of 1994, Weizman was invited on an official presidential visit to Egypt by Mubarak, successor to Anwar Sadat. Weizman, a former Israel Air Force commander who was defense minister when the peace agreement with Egypt was signed in 1979 and was a favorite of Egyptian leaders, was warmly received at the presidential palace in Cairo with a proper ceremony that honored Israel.
When I heard last year that Mubarak had received a life sentence, I felt as if a close friend had been rescued from death. I had expected that he would receive the death penalty and I felt bad about his fate. As part of my job, I had met with Mubarak on several occasions, and I remember him as an authoritative and decisive figure. It would be hard for me to point to an Arab leader today who shares Mubarak's leadership qualities.
As the leader of the largest country in the Arab word, Mubarak ruled fearlessly for three decades, during which time he maintained the peace agreement with Israel and stability in the Middle East. He may not have always pushed for full normalization between the two countries, but this was due to his unique position as leader of the Arab world.
Mubarak was faithful to the peace agreement, including the Palestinian components of it, which were signed under his auspices in Cairo, sometimes to the chagrin of Yasser Arafat. Mubarak's task was difficult and thankless, due to the opposition of much of the Egyptian people and Islamic radicals to the peace deal. But, in his own way, he did his best. It seems to me that the Arab leaders who have risen to power during the Arab Spring do not live up to Mubarak, particularly in light of what has taken place in Egypt since his downfall.
More than anything, Mubarak understood the pyramid of peace, an equilateral triangle consisting of three components: commitment to the agreement, annual aid from the U.S., and leadership of the Arab world on issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war on terrorism. The Egyptian people and Western leaders will end up missing Mubarak, as will we. Until then, let's say thank you to our friend Mubarak, who returned to Israel the bodies of an IAF navigator and two armored corps members.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Shimon Hefetz was then-President Ezer Weizman's military secretary.
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