CAIRO — Egypt witnessed a new political storm following reports of a recent meeting between Israel's ambassador to Cairo, David Govrin, and prominent Egyptian sociologist and director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, at the latter’s house.

Although Egypt and Israel signed a peace deal in 1978 and the two countries' security forces cooperate in the Sinai, there are minimal people-to-people relations and ties with Israel remain a touchy topic among the Egyptian public.

According to an unnamed official speaking to local media July 20, Ibrahim was asked to help limit Egyptian media outlets' attacks on Israel. Egyptian media often refers to Israel as an “enemy,” and Israel's controversial new Jewish Nationality Law has been severely criticized in Egyptian newspapers as discriminatory against Palestinians.

The source added that Ibrahim was also consulted on how to strengthen diplomatic ties and relations between Egypt and Israel. The meeting also reportedly involved a discussion of the idea of extending a railway between the two countries and sending Egyptian students to Israel.