Three dead, countless injured after embassy attack in Egypt

Israeli-Egyptian relations continued to deteriorate after an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Egypt left three dead and more than 1,000 injured. Protestors stormed the embassy and trashed offices, forcing almost the entire Israeli staff to flee Egypt.

Early Saturday, the streets of Cairo erupted in violence between protestors and security forces. The clash led Egypt’s military leaders to reactivate an emergency law that makes it easier for authorities to arrest people and puts restrictions on demonstrations.

The attack appeared to confirm fears that the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries is now in jeopardy since Egyptian dictator and relative ally to Israel Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power earlier this year after decades of rule. The treaty between the two countries is widely unpopular with the Egyptian people.

Egypt’s new leadership appears torn between honoring the Israeli alliance, which brings support and aid from the United States, and enacting a more antagonistic stance towards Israel, a move that would appease the Egyptian people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided criticizing Egypt and stressed the importance of the strategic relationship between the two nations.