Mubarak says he refused to visit Israel due to occupation

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak describes his diplomatic ties with Israel as delicate, and says he did not visit the Jewish state due to political considerations. His remarks come as he stands trial.

“I ran relations with Israel like a tightrope walker,” he says.

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attends a hearing in his retrial over charges of failing to stop killings of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall, in the Police Academy-turned-court in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt,  April 26, 2014 . (photo credit: AP/Tarek el Gabbas)
Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attends a hearing in his retrial over charges of failing to stop killings of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall, in the Police Academy-turned-court in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, April 26, 2014 . (photo credit: AP/Tarek el Gabbas)

“I refused to visit Israel so long as the occupation continued,” Mubarak adds.

Despite his statements to the contrary, Mubarak visited Israel to attend the funeral of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

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