JERUSALEM—Unnerved by the quickening collapse of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime, Israel is pressing the U.S. and other Western leaders to demand that any successor in Egypt preserve that country's peace accord with the Jewish state.
The diplomatic push, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes as Israel's top security officials are huddled in strategy sessions to reassess their most important Middle East relationship, one that has helped Israel weather decades of sporadic conflicts with militant Islamist groups backed by Syria and Iran.
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The prospect of prolonged uncertainty has led some Israeli officials to suggest that the country might be forced to significantly expand its army and defense spending, and to abandon what little efforts Mr. Netanyahu's government has made to restart peace negotiations with the Palestinians on creating their own state.
"It's very scary what's happening in Egypt, especially for Israel," said Adva Gilboa, a 33-year-old store manager in the town of Kiryat Tivon, reflecting the Israeli public's heightened fears for the survival of their state. "Mubarak was good for Israel, maybe not for Egyptians."
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If Egypt comes under leadership hostile to Israel, the official said, "that would be a real game changer" that would upend the regional balance.
Israelis are already worried that Jordan, the other Arab nation with a peace treaty with the Jewish state, would come under growing pressure to abandon the deal. Jordan's King Abdullah II dismissed his Cabinet on Tuesday after weeks of demonstrations challenging his regime.
Israel's adversaries in the region, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, view the massive protests in Egypt and Jordan as a sign of the weakening position of the Jewish state along with that of its American ally.
0 Replies
Finn dAbuzz
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 03:55 pm
I have to say these demonstrators have quite a lot of brass.
They're all in now.
They are going to win or they are going to die in the streets or rot in jails
Looks like the crowd remaining has greatly decreased since earlier in the day.
The situations of Egypt today and the situation as it stood on the eve of that night are in no way similar.
If there is a response from western nations it will not because of threat of WMD or the threat of AQ. It will because Egyptian government turned on its own citizens (disguised) for protesting. Not because of any past actions of Mubarak on its citizens or even for the countries government corruption.
The situation is more comparable to the situation in 80's when the Chinese students held those protest and got killed for it; apparently while world stood by and watched and did nothing. (I am kind of vague on the details of that..)
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Walter Hinteler
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 03:59 pm
@Finn dAbuzz,
Finn dAbuzz wrote:
Looks like the crowd remaining has greatly decreased since earlier in the day.
Well, it's midnight in Cairo now.
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Al Jazeera Arabic reports that pro and anti-Mubarak supporters are clashing in Abdul Menim Riad Square, near Tahrir Square.#Egypt
4 minutes ago via web
AJE in Cairo: No police presence at Tahrir square. Right now, anti-government protesters outnumber the pro-Mubarak supporters. #Egypt
1 minutes ago via web
From what I've seen on a live feed, the army never really did much more than fire into the air. I thought they might be making a move but it doesn't look like it...at least now.
The "pro-Mubarak" thugs were sent in there today for some reason. I can't believe Mubarak thought that they alone could put an end to the demonstration, but who knows?
Spendius: I found some now outdated reports from Alexandria, Suez, Giza etc, dated Jan 28th or so. Much more violent and deadly than I had expected.
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hawkeye10
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 04:45 pm
@Finn dAbuzz,
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I can't believe Mubarak thought that they alone could put an end to the demonstration, but who knows?
He wants to force the military to take sides, because he obviously thinks that they will take his. Why he thinks this IDK, because logic suggests that their self interests lies with deciding to go against Mubarak. The only way this makes sense is if Mubarak has reason the think that the military leaders will not be able/willing to do what is best for the military and the country....that they are too conservative/timid to do what they know they should do.
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Cycloptichorn
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 04:55 pm
It's not just Mubarak - there's a whole segment of the population who profits greatly from being a part of his organization. They aren't just going to give up their power lightly.
I'd say that there has probably been quite a bit of self-organization on the part of these folks for the last several days, and when the protesters didn't back down after the announcement that M. won't run in the election this Fall, they were ready enough to act - even if they weren't ordered to.
Cycloptichorn
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Butrflynet
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 05:20 pm
@Walter Hinteler,
Considering that 600+ have serious injuries and are seeking medical aid, that would diminish the crowd a bit as they and people assisting them leave the area to find that aid.
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Butrflynet
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Wed 2 Feb, 2011 05:33 pm
1:01 am Pro-Mubarak supporters retreat to an overpass, where they are tossing petrol bombs at the crowd below. The army is not doing anything to intervene.
12:51 am A standoff is taking place in front of Egypt's national museum, where rocks and petrol bombs are flying.
12:45 am AJE Web producer, reporting from Tahrir Square says large caliber shots are being fired by the Egyptian army. It seems that they're "shooting in the air.'
12:15 am Mustafa Hussein, a physician working in a makeshift hospital set up near Tahrir Square, tells Al Jazeera that the square is "in less chaos" and that the hospital is flooded with calls offering supplies. He also said that many of the injuries he saw today were head injuries as a result of protesters being pelted by rocks.
12:10 am AJE Web producer, reporting from Tahrir Square, reports no police presence at this point, and says that the anti-government protesters outnumbered the pro-Mubarak supporters.
