Secretary of State John Kerry was given the equivalent of a diplomatic slap in the face by Egypt, on his way to Israel to negotiate a ceasefire between that country and Hamas. Diplomacy is a funny thing; actions that may go unnoticed by the layperson are intended as very strong messages among diplomats.

Kerry in Cairo, where he was wanded.

Kerry and his entourage were on the receiving end of such a message by Egypt’s President upon landing in Egypt:

Kerry flew to Tel Aviv from Cairo, where he met Tuesday with Egypt’s president and other high-level officials.

An unusual screening process occurred involving Kerry and his State Department team as they were subjected to a metal detector before meeting with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi at the Egyptian presidential palace.

Reuters reports that Kerry and his aides were checked with a metal detector. Security personnel reportedly raised a handheld metal-detector wand to Kerry’s suit jacket before waving him through.

Kerry’s aides were also subjected to the handheld wand and were told to walk through a metal detector.

Relations between Egypt and the Obama administration are more than strained. Kerry represents a State Department that has been infiltrated by the same Muslim Brotherhood El-Sisi has been fighting since Mohammed Mursi was overthrown last year.

When it comes to the State Department’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Kerry’s trip to Israel to negotiate a ceasefire has the benefit of helping Hamas, Gaza’s military wing of the Brotherhood.

Again, this was clearly a message sent by el-Sisi that Egypt is well aware of the Obama administration’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood.