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Israel will no longer be Egypt’s ‘pampered ally’

April 15, 2011 · 217028 Comments2011-04-15+09%3A05%3A06Teresa

CAIRO — With long-standing president Hosni Mubarak — a key ally of Israel and the US — now ousted, Egypt will most likely be forthright in dealing with Tel Aviv, according to political analysis.

Days after being selected for a foreign ministry post, Dr Nabeel Al Arabi, a veteran diplomat, expressed Egypt’s willingness to open “a new page” in relations with Israel’s sworn enemy — Iran.

Since Mubarak’s ouster last February, Cairo has seen a string of visits by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials from the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas.

Cairo has signalled its keenness to continue with efforts for a reconciliation between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Abbas’ Fatah faction.

These efforts were unsuccessfully spearheaded by Mubarak’s chief of intelligence service Omar Sulaiman. “There is a qualitative leap in Egypt’s foreign policy after Mubarak, with more stress laid on ties with Africa and the Arabs in particular,” Mahfouz Saleh, a political analyst told Gulf News.

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“Significantly, the first trip abroad by the acting prime minister was to Sudan, which is Egypt’s southern neighbour. The positive gestures made to Iran after more than three decades of estrangement, are another indication of this drastic change,” he added.

“Israel should not expect to be a pampered ally in Cairo any longer.”

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

Still, anti-Israel sentiment has been running high among Egyptians ever since. No Israeli official has visited Egypt since Mubarak was removed from power. “The Egyptian reaction to Israel’s latest air strikes against Gaza are in contrast with the lame response Mubarak and his foreign minister made following Israel’s devastating war on Gaza in late 2008,” Saleh said.

Hamas has always had problems with the former regime and accuses Mubarak of taking part in the siege on the Gaza strip and the war in 2009. “We believe that the previous regime shared part of the responsibility of the war and siege on Gaza,” Dr Younus Al Astal, a parliament member of Hamas said.

“We feel there has been a change in the way the Egyptian regime is dealing with the Palestinian cause now through what we heard from the present Egyptian officials especially the Egyptian foreign minister Dr Nabeel Al Arabi,” he said.

Cairo condemned the recent Israeli raids on the impoverished Palestinian enclave, which left 18 people dead.

By Ramadan Al Sherbini

Source: GulfNews | 15 April 2011

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By Teresa

Tags: Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, Israel

mohamed says:

Israel is a M-E particle of the Western powers. The political ambitions of Israel is exactly
the same as that of the rest of the Western World. With this in mind I Doubt that the uprisings of
the Arabs will be a bad omen for the Israels and the West. All is needed from these uprisings is
for the Western Hemisphere to support the Civilian secular uprisings headed by Civilian
heads of States not Military heads similar to the Western democracy type Govts. for all non-kingdoms.
However all kingdoms like the KSR must also be encouraged to adapt similar systems like
the HMG/UK liberal systems. Let the opposition uprisings forces take hold and Israel and the West
have nothing to fear but much to gain with a more betterly well defined new world order.
Cheers.

7:41 am on April 15, 2011

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- middlepath says:
  
  Why would you want the Wesrtern world to benefit from these uprsings? Its about the Arab peoples future not the West.We have to remove this Impeialism as its another form of Salvery: telling the people who to choose and what kind of system of government to have is simply wrong and unethical.
  
  Enough telling the Arab world what to do,its time for them to choose for themselves.
  
  6:12 pm on April 15, 2011
  
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  - mohamed says:
    
    Brothda you missing the point. These uprisings are good for the whole world. The whole World
    will come together under a new world order systems which will respect all Religions, create Civilian
    secular Democratic Western type global World Govts. based on the UN Universal charter norms,
    to limit arms race and Military conflicts etc. Western Imperialism or whatever, there are huge challenging
    issues for the Arabs and the west contemporary world of the 21st-C demanding real bold
    answers and solutions. The hi-tech IT world can no longer depend on the pre 20th-C calculus.
    Besides the human races(beings) peace prosperity and harmony interact and go hand-in-hand in
    win-win scenarios. The right hand needs the left hand. The two hemispheres depend on each others caress of goodwill theatrically so well thought of and orchestrated into real bold actions.
    Cheers.
    
    10:31 pm on April 15, 2011
    
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Boqoljireh says:

Egypt will not sacrifice anymore, because they have tasted wars and unless all Arabs team up with a direct hit at one, they will not put themselves in front line any more. This is truth and it's what the ordinary Egyptian believes. Wars for Arab cause is gone, as far as Egypt is concerned. More 85 million people of Egypt want to have bread on the table and unless all their brothers coordinate the next course of action, they will not take unilateral action to confront State of Israel.

1:12 pm on April 15, 2011

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middlepath says:

Egypt sucessfully took back its land (Sinai) fwhen it was ocupied by Israel in 1973 in just a few hours and suprised the world, they are and always were brave and courageous people and they deserve a leadership that Reflects their aspirations and thinking not another fake puppet system installed by Western powers.

6:14 pm on April 15, 2011

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ahmed says:

I was amazed how civilized the egyption people conducted the change they needed. surely their future is brighter now. They have a role to play in the middle east and in Africa too. lets see how they establish multiparty system, and which ideas that are more important to them.

3:37 pm on April 17, 2011

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- mohamed says:
  
  All they need to do is to get rid of the Military type Govt. and Create A Civilian Society type Govt. headed by
  a Civilian head controlling the Military like the Western Democracies. That policy also goes for all
  AL/OIC. except the KSR and other Kingdoms AL/OIC which should be treated like the Western
  Kingdom liberals like HMG etc.However the KSR and other Kingdoms should allow their subjects
  to rule themselves as commoners under royals Sovereign oversight exactly like the western kingdoms without compromising the AL/OIC Islamic laws. The OIC should be empowered to function to the levels
  of the Vetican City finding the right location in the AL/OIC.The human rights and Immigration issues
  should improve. Bilateral trade and cultural developments at high level contacts is also importantly
  desirable. Creating the right atmosphere to explain for better mutual co-existence to the confused non-islamic World about Islam is the top responsibility of the AL/OIC.
  Cheers.
  
  10:22 pm on April 19, 2011
  
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Mark @ Israel says:

It’s good that the Egyptian people has achieved the change in government which they wanted. May this government think only of the welfare of the people. Before thinking of making peace with other countries, may they achieve peace within and among its own people.

8:36 pm on April 26, 2011

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