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Netanyahu Mourns ‘Personal Friend’ Egypt’s Fmr. President Mubarak

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed his condolences to Egypt following the death of his “personal friend” former President Hosni Mubarak, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

“On behalf of the citizens and Government of Israel, I would like to express deep sorrow on the passing of President Hosni Mubarak,” Netanyahu stated.

Mubarak, “my personal friend, was a leader who led his people to peace and security, to peace with Israel. I met with him many times. I was impressed by his commitment; we will continue to follow this common path,” the statement read.

He sent his condolences to Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah A-Sisi, to the Mubarak family and to the Egyptian people.

During his 30 years in office, Mubarak maintained a cordial relationship with Israel, which upheld the peace between the two countries but did not develop into a closer and more productive association.

On occasion, Mubarak hosted meetings relating to the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process and served as a broker between them.

The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu added that he sends condolences to Egypt’s current president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, as well as to Mubarak’s family and to the Egyptian people.

The Israeli prime minister was one of the first international leaders to comment on Mubarak’s passing, according to the TOI report.

Israel’s embassy in Cairo took to Twitter to express “great sadness” at the former president’s death.

Mubarak was born on May 4, 1928, in the village of Kafr el-Moseilha in the Nile delta province of Menoufia. His family, like that of Sadat, and Gamal Abdel Nasser before him, was lower middle class.

After joining the air force in 1950, Mubarak moved up the ranks as a bomber pilot and instructor and rose to leadership positions.

TOI reported that the former Egyptian president maintained close ties with all Israeli leaders. His last meeting with Netanyahu, in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, took place in January 2011 — about a month before he was deposed.

Mubarak rose to power after Islamic extremists assassinated his predecessor Anwar Sadat, then steered the nation through the turmoil that buffeted the Middle East with wars, terrorism and religious extremism.

TOI reported that Mubarak, who served as president 1981-2011, maintained a cool peace with Israel and kept Egypt relatively free of the grip of Islamic extremism. He engineered Egypt’s return to the Arab fold after nearly a decade in the cold over its 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas mourned Mubarak’s passing “with great sorrow.” He lauded the former Egyptian leader’s “support of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in achieving their rights to freedom and independence.”

            (TPS & TOI)

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