Egypt's ambassador in Israel: I have nothing to do with the dancer

Egypt's ambassador in Israel, Mohammed Bassiouni refused what he called the blackmail attempt made by the Israeli dancer who had accused him of rape and is suing him in court.

He said, "Our record is very clear, and these lies will not stop us from facing Israel's policies which contradict with the peace process. This will not affect us, and we will resume our endeavors to bring back the peace process to its right track."

An Israeli court agreed to hear a complaint presented by an Israeli dancer against Bassiouni in which she asks him to pay compensation of $290,000 after she accused him of sexually molesting her by force. The court is considering whether Bassiouni's diplomatic immunity applies, since this incident was not related to his duties as ambassador.

Bassiouni said, "The blackmail attempt is the price of the honest people," adding that he did not receive any official note concerning what transpired before the Israeli court. He also said he has documents issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirming that the dancer's case has nothing do with truth and that the case was closed.

He added, "We are not a party in this case. It is between the Israeli government, those black mailers, the dancer and those who stand behind it," criticizing the Israeli newspapers for publishing "false and misleading information."