Egypt's new FM accused Israel of genocide
Before being appointed as judge at the International Court of Justice, Nabil Elaraby urged Arab states to sue Israel for committing atrocities
Nabil Elaraby, a former judge in the International Court of Justice, accepted the post of Egypt's foreign minister on Sunday, the Egyptian state news agency reported.
Elaraby, who was also the permanent representative to the United Nations and has been serving as the director of the Regional Cairo Center for International Commercial Arbitration, replaces Ahmed Aboul Gheit who was minister since 2004.
During his tenure at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Elaraby was a member of the panel that issued the advisory opinion on the construction of Israel's security barrier.
Israel protested Elaraby's appointment to the panel, claiming he was not objective and held anti-Israel views, including his call to sue the Jewish state for genocide.
During an August 2001 interview with an Egyptian newspaper, Elaraby was quoted as saying, "I personally support an Arab Muslim claim against Israeli crimes." Two months later he was appointed as a judge at the ICJ.
Elaraby's new appointment is part of the sweeping changes Egypt has been undergoing since the disposal of President Hosni Mubarak.
On Saturday, Egypt announced it had appointed General Mansour el Essawy as the new minister of interior. According to the Egyptian news agency, Essawy's top priority is to restore order and increase security throughout Egypt.
Egypt's previous Interior Minister, Mahmoud Wagdy, was appointed by Mubarak after unrest began spreading in the country. However, after Mubarak stepped down, his opponents insisted on firing all the cabinet ministers appointed by the ousted president.
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