Meeting between Israel, Muslim Brotherhood nixed after media leak

A secret meeting between Israeli and Egyptian parliamentarians — including members of the Muslim Brotherhood — has been nixed after it was leaked to the media, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Tuesday.

The cancellation is a blow to the U.S. State Department, which had reportedly organized the meeting set to take place next week in Washington. Tensions between Israel and Egypt have increased over the past year after Islamic parties won a majority of seats in parliament and the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate took the lead in presidential elections whose run-off is this weekend.

The meeting's existence was first reported Monday by Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest circulation newspaper.

An Israeli lawmaker with the right-wing Likud party, which was supposed to participate, expressed her frustration to the paper.

"In light of the sensitivity towards Egypt, especially in the case of parliament members in the Muslim Brotherhood, the directives were to maintain complete media silence,” said Knesset Member Carmel Shama-Hacohen. “It is a shame that needless chatter left Egypt with no option other than to cancel the meeting while also causing embarrassment to the US State Department."

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