Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty 'safe' - for now
The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty remains 'safe' - at least for now - in the aftermath of Friday's overthrowing of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt's military rulers have promised the country will abide by its international agreements, a nod to allay concerns that Egypt's peace deal with Israel could be threatened following the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.What could go wrong?
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Mubarak's downfall at the hands of the biggest popular uprising in the modern history of the Arab world had stunning implications for the United States and the West, Israel, and the region, unsettling rulers across the Mideast.
President Barack Obama's senior military adviser was heading to the Mideast Saturday to reassure two key allies — Jordan, facing its own rumblings of civil unrest, and Israel, which sees its security at stake in a wider transformation of the Arab world.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was stopping first in Amman for meetings Sunday with senior Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II. Jordan has seen five weeks of protests inspired by unrest in Tunisia and later Egypt, though the numbers of marchers has been decreasing.
He then was to Tel Aviv for meetings and ceremonies Sunday and Monday marking the retirement of his Israeli counterpart, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, and talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. Mullen had no plans to visit Egypt on this trip.
Israel is deeply worried about the prospect that Mubarak's ouster could lead to the emergence of a government less friendly to the Jewish state.
Any break seems unlikely in the near term. The military leadership supports the treaty. Anti-Israeli feeling is strong among Egyptians, and a more democratic government may take a tougher line toward Israel in the chronically broken-down peace process. But few call for outright abrogating a treaty that has kept peace after three wars in the past half-century.
Labels: Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, Hosni Mubarak, Mike Mullen
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:54 AM
1 Comments:
The real reason has less to do with Egyptian warmth towards Israel than with the reality of losing $3 billion dollars a year in US economic and military assistance. As a result the peace treaty won't be formally scuttled but in practice it will remain a dead letter as it has for a generation. Don't look for it to warm up in our lifetime.
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