Decision, Indecision

Cairo has a fairly good idea how close they have come to demonstrating to the international community that they verge on the breakdown of acceptable civil societal mores. All signatory countries to the Vienna Convention must take the protocols seriously. Egypt's new government has demonstrated a singular lack of commitment to the diplomatic relations between itself and Israel, in reflection of the peace treaty signed in 1969. The military government now in control of Egypt permitted chaos and violence to mar its relations with a neighbouring country with which it shares a peace treaty and an exchange of embassies.

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, an international treaty defining the universal framework for diplomatic relations between sovereign nations is quite specific on the privileges of a diplomatic mission. Those missions; embassies and their staff; must be free to perform their official representative functions without coercion or harassment. This is termed diplomacy, and forms the legal structure of what is termed diplomatic immunity. The property housing the embassy is considered to be the property of the country whose embassy it is, and it is deemed to be inviolate, just as that country's soil is, from outside intervention or occupation.

Another country's envoy is considered to be a guest and is to be treated as such. Agreements are negotiated between states, and communications with the home nation treated as confidential. Article 22 of the Convention reads:

The premises of a diplomatic mission, such as an embassy, are inviolate and must not be entered by the host country except by permission of the head of the mission. furthermore, the host country must protect the mission from intrusion or damage. The host country must never search the premises, nor seize its documents or property. Article 30 extends this provision to the private residence of the diplomats.

There is, furthermore a distinct obligation on the part of the state to make every effort to protect the premises of a foreign nation's embassy from illegal trespass. When a mob assembled in front of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, the interim, transitional government of Egypt did nothing to prevent an escalation of violence. Although there were police and military present, they did not react when the shouting, violent mob proceeded to break down a barrier that the Egyptian government itself had erected surrounding the Israeli Embassy.

The situation that ensued went from alarming to horrible. Field Marshal Tantawi, the current acting head of government, appeared to have disappeared. He failed to respond to desperate calls from the Israeli government, and did the same when emergency calls from Washington were placed. Anarchy seemed to reign quite comfortably in Cairo, with those in authority presumably unconcerned with the safety and security of their diplomatic guests. The embassy had been evacuated but for the presence of six Israeli security guards who had locked themselves securely into an armoured inner chamber.

Not quite as secure as they might have thought under the onslaught of a ravening mob determined to extract them from that inner chamber, for the mob had already managed to break through two other entrances leading to the inner chamber where they were assembled. The speculation that this was a deliberately lax response from the armed forces top echelon of administrators as a demonstration that without their continued presence heading the government the country would collapse into total chaos was perhaps being put to the test.

They may be quite correct. Another mob, on Friday when the 13-hour siege of the Israeli Embassy was taking place, was preparing to brutally assault two CNN women reporters who were rescued at the last possible moment, saving them from a viciously gruesome event such as that which had taken place months earlier in Tahrir Square when another American newswoman had been gang raped by another such mob who presented themselves as protesters for peace and security.

The ransacking of the embassy, the apprehended violence of the six barricaded Israeli security guards, was finally brought to a halt when intervention by the United States, horrified at the extent of the breakdown of law and order, made specific threats to activate a response from General Tantawi. At which point the Egyptian military did move in to secure the embassy, disperse the mob, which then turned on them, throwing rocks, torching police cars, and trashing a nearby police station.

"The security in front of the embassy has been enhanced. Returning back to normalcy is the objective for both sides", an Egyptian cabinet minister assured Reuters. Israel, thankful for the rescue of the six guards who were taken out of the embassy dressed in traditional Arab garb for cover, then flown by Israeli military jet back to Israel, is ready to "continue to preserve the peace with Egypt".

Egypt would like to see the return of foreign investment in the country. It has no wish to see itself considered an international pariah on the stage of diplomacy, flouting the Vienna Convention. Its prime minister who heads the transitional government along with the military council has offered to resign. And officials have vowed "total commitment" to the protection of diplomatic missions upon its soil. An emergency meeting has been scheduled of the Egyptian cabinet.

Turkey's prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan complicates matters, in high dudgeon, fuming about the conclusions reached by the Palmer report for the United Nations; rejecting it and damning Israel for the deaths of nine Turkish citizens-cum-'activists' who had joined a Gaza blockade-busting flotilla. He is on a mission to personally delegitimize Israel, to slander and to isolate it. Egypt will be faced, during Erdogan's visit, with the prospect of another decision being urged upon it.