Oct 27, 2011

Egypt May Cancel Peace with Israel, Says Jordan's King

Ryan JonesBy Ryan Jones
Israel Today

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It's not only Israeli analysts who fear that even the cold peace between their country and Egypt may be in danger as Islamic forces rise in the wake of Egypt's revolution.

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday told the Washington Post that there is a "very strong possibility" that following upcoming elections, Egypt's new rulers will revoke the Camp David Accords.

That is especially true if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power. The group is contesting over 50 percent of the parliament seats in the next election, and is currently the only major political party active in the country.

Jordanian King Abdullah IIAbdullah said that Jordan will soon be "the last man standing" in terms of nations in the region that have friendly relations with Israel.

There are many who disagree with Abdullah's conclusions, and even the Post tried to qualify his statements by noting that so-called experts (presumably the same who failed to see the 'Arab Spring' coming in the first place) find talk of Egypt ending its peace treaty with Israel wildly speculative.

Those experts insist that Egypt wants to maintain its flow of American financial aid and military equipment, and won't do anything to jeopardize that. However, the Muslim Brotherhood and the many Egyptians who back the group have repeatedly stated throughout the revolution that they have no interest in continuing their nation's reliance on American backing, and that they view adherence to their radical Islamic ideals as far more important than Western money.

"The peace between Israel and Egypt is no longer holy," declared Egyptian diplomat and Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi at a recent rally. "It [peace with Israel] cannot be considered equal to the holy Koran."

Al-Arabi was only echoing what the Egyptian public had been saying for months.

The results of a public opinion poll conducted following the fall of dictator Hosni Mubarak found that the majority of Egyptians want to annul their nation's peace treaty with Israel.

Conducted by the Pew Research Center, the survey revealed that 54 percent of Egyptians don't want peace with Israel, and will support a candidate who advocates annulling the Camp David Accords.

That percentage was the same among both secular Egyptians and those affiliated with Islamic organizations.

A newer poll conducted by the parent company of Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper tried to skew the numbers a bit by giving respondents numerous options regarding what they would like to see happen with the Camp David Accords.

Only 23 percent said they want the peace treaty with Israel to be left as it is. Sixty-two percent said they were interested in maintaining the peace treaty with Israel, but only if it was amended to enhance the benefits to Egypt. It was that 62 percent that the media latched onto, ignoring the fact that the majority wants to alter the peace treaty in ways that would no doubt be hostile toward and unacceptable to Israel.


Related Links


US to Sell F-16 to Egypt in Grapel Deal - Arutz Sheva
Jordan's Abdullah: Egypt could break its peace treaty with Israel - Ha'aretz
Jordan's king: Israel-Egypt peace treaty in danger - Ynet News
As Egyptian gas supplies stall, Jordan turns to Iraq - Al-Bawaba
Jordan’s King Abdullah on Egypt, Syria and Israel - Washington Post