Pentagon chief in Cairo to defuse tension
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta was headed to Cairo from Tel Aviv yesterday in an effort to defuse tensions between Egypt and Israel that have mounted since the end of Hosni Mubarak's rule.
Before flying out after a one-day visit to Israel, Panetta said he will seek to encourage both sides to ease friction over the Sinai and will ask Egypt's military rulers to release an alleged Israeli spy.
Ilan Grapel, a US-Israeli dual national, is accused of spying for Israel and has been in custody since June 12 but Israeli officials say it is all a mistake.
Egypt said on Saturday it was considering releasing Grapel.
Relations between Egypt and Israel, which have been bound by a peace treaty since 1979, have entered a turbulent period since Mubarak's overthrow.
The end of the veteran strongman's rule has coincided with uprisings across the Arab world that could give greater voice to popular anger over Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
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