Radicals Attack Egyptian Minister
Ahmed Maher is pelted with shoes and insults at a holy site after meeting with Israeli officials. Cairo has tried to spur a Palestinian cease-fire. Radical Muslims attacked Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher during Monday evening prayers at the Al Aqsa mosque, one of Islam’s most revered sites and a flashpoint for Arab-Israeli violence in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City. Enraged men lunged at Maher, pelted him with shoes in a traditional insult and screamed, “Traitor!” “Collaborator!” and “God is great!” Television footage showed Maher caught in a crush of bodyguards at the center of a furious mob. The official, who is 68 and has undergone two heart bypass operations, was hospitalized briefly after he complained of a choking sensation and chest pressure. Days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened to draw a boundary of his choosing through the Palestinian territories, Maher was meeting with top Israeli officials in hopes of coaxing stalled peace talks back to life. Egypt has been working furiously — but unsuccessfully — to broker a cease-fire among Palestinian militants. Full Story