Israel, Egypt Confer On Tourism

Israel has been making some headway in thawing out the “cold peace” with Egypt and Jordan.

Deputy Foreign Minister and acting Regional Cooperation Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) met with an Egyptian diplomat at the Taba border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday to explore ways to revive the battered tourist industries of both countries.

“We will defeat terrorism, which cannot be allowed to interfere with our daily lives,” Kara told The Jerusalem Post. If Egypt is able to defeat terrorism in Sinai, and Israel in the Gaza Strip, “then tourism with Egypt should flourish once again,” he said

They also spoke about improving bilateral relations in general.

Kara also met with representatives of the Eilat airport, the Wadi Araba border crossing with Jordan, and the manager of the Taba border crossing with Egypt to facilitate the plan to bring Jordanian day workers to hotels in Eilat.

The month-old plan has so far brought 150 Jordanian workers to Eilat, to reach 500 by the end of the month. The government envisions about 1,500 Jordanian workers in the city, once the program is in full swing

The Jordanian workers stay for eight hours, then return home to Jordan at the end of each workday.

This article appeared in print on page 42 of the December 2nd, 2015 edition of Hamodia.