We Ignore Egypt Situation at Our Peril

Algemeiner ^ | May 22, 2012 | Morton A. Klein and Daniel Mandel

[SJackson]

Since the toppling of the Hosni Mubarak regime last year, matters in Egypt – and thus in the Egyptian/Israeli relationship and in the surrounding Middle East – have steadily gone from bad to worse. Strangely, few are taking notice. The Obama Administration actively encouraged the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the eventual successor regime and has legitimized this avowed anti-American, Islamist organization. Editorials around the country show little indication of being aware of how bad the situation is becoming. Yet the evidence is plentiful.

The MB has never made a secret of seeking to abrogate the 1979 Egyptian/Israeli peace treaty. The MB leader, Muhammad Badi’, has spoken enthusiastically of jihad and called for a state based on Islamic law. He also spoke optimistically about the U.S. heading for a collapse. His second-in-command, Rashad Al-Bayoumi, emphasized last year that abrogating the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty was a prime MB objective. In January, Bayoumi said that, for the MB, the peace treaty “it isn’t binding at all … On no condition will we recognize Israel. It is an enemy entity.”

Only weeks ago, the MB presidential candidate, Mohamed Mursi, said that “Egypt’s next president can’t be like his predecessor, he can’t be a follower who executes policies put to him from outside.” Mursi’s aide has said that Mursi, if elected president, would not meet with the Israeli president. Also last month, the MB criticized Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa’s visit to Jerusalem as “not acceptable.”

None of this should surprise: The MB has been opposed to Israel’s existence from the day it was established. Indeed, its Palestinian off-shoot, Hamas, calls in its Charter for Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews.

In recent weeks, the Egyptian legislature’s lower house unanimously endorsed demands calling for the deportation of the Israeli ambassador in Egypt; halting export of natural gas to Israel and “reexamining” the Camp David peace accords with Israel. Yet, the U.S. State Department’s Vitoria Nuland has responded to MB calls for rescinding the peace treaty by blithely contendingthat “People say things in a campaign and then when they get elected they actually have to govern.” In other words – all this can be ignored.

The natural gas pipeline, through which Israel receives energy in accordance with the 1979 Egyptian/Israeli peace treaty, has been blown up or sabotaged innumerable times. Last month, Egypt’s state-owned natural gas company said that it is ending a 2005 deal to export gas to Israel because of a payment dispute.

Israeli Finance Minister, Yuval Steinitz, calls this “a dangerous precedent that overshadows the peace agreements between Israel and Egypt” and he is right: government-owned Egyptian companies do not decide on canceling a contract without government knowledge and approval. Reports suggest the cancelation could be a form of pressure on Israel to drop a suit for damages for past disruptions of supplies. Whatever the case, the Egyptian/Israeli relationship is clearly deteriorating.

Palestinian terrorists have already struck in August 2011 from Sinai, murdering eight Israelis. In addition, terrorist infiltration into Sinai has become so dangerous that Israeli officials have warnedIsraeli tourists to leave immediately on account of a “critical and immediate threat … terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are continuing to work energetically to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli targets on Sinai’s beaches in the immediate term.”

These developments have important ramifications. They show that the Egyptian/Israeli relationship is in a state of collapse. They show that the security situation in Gaza and Sinai, already in a poor state, is likely to deteriorate further. They show that the immense U.S. funds (more than $60 billion over three decades) assets and weaponry that have poured into Egypt under the 1979 treaty will soon be in the hands of a hostile, Islamist, anti-American, anti-Israeli regime. They also show that Egypt is moving from being an unreliable U.S. ally to an active antagonist.

If Egypt cancels the treaty, the U.S. must consider canceling all further aid to Cairo and removing its military advisers, who have expertly trained Egypt’s armed forces. Such aid is not only no longer in the U.S. interest and the U.S. taxpayer is entitled to see its money support a genuine ally, not an enemy regime.

Israel must make it clear that, in the event that Egypt cancels the peace treaty, Israel major concessions will no longer be legally binding. This means that it would consider retaking the Sinai desert, with its Israeli-built air bases and four oil wells.

And whether the peace treaty is openly abrogated or not, both the U.S. and Israel must adapt to the already established fact that Egypt is no longer even the unreliable ally it once was.

[Travis McGee]

WHen the Egyptian economy totally tanks, where will they get the cash to pay for the over 50% of food that they import?

Will the USA give them the cash to buy the food?

Just askin’.

[SJackson]

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SJackson. The coup against Mubarek is analogous to the 'phony war' period of WWII in Europe -- when the next round starts it will also be sudden. Irrespective of the winners and losers in this election, the Islamofascists will spout some completely non-credible rationalization for not accepting the validity or legitimacy of the new gov't, and the stockpiles of automatic weapons and RPGs will emerge. This will probably start in the Sinai, it's clearly been beyond Egyptian competence to govern that hell-hole. Old sidebar:

• Netanyahu reaffirms Israel claim to parts of West Bank [1/25/2010]

[Dr. Ursus]

Saudi Arabia is already footing the bill!

[Savage Beast]

Of even greater importance: We ignore the U.S. situation at our peril! And the peril of our children and grandchildren!

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

The Obama Administration actively encouraged the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the eventual successor regime and has legitimized this avowed anti-American, Islamist organization.

Mmmm, lets see now, who is more of a "threat" to the safety and security of the United States among these 2?

And of these 2, which is more dangerous to our survival?

I especially welcome comments from those who (claim) that Mittens is 10 times worst than Dear Leader and thus, we shold all stay home or vote for someone else come November.

How's about any of you who have been disparaging the Mormon Religion (and no, I'm Catholic and thus do not necessarily support what Mormons advocate) provide ANYTING printed or advanced by Mormons which is even close to what many practitioners of the "Religion of Peace" in general and specifically, the Muslim Brotherhood (which Obama supports and defends) do?

The Muslim Brotherhood Creed: “Allah is our objective; the Prophet is our leader; the Quran is our law; Jihad is our way; dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

The Muslim Brotherhood Agenda as outlined in 1991 in Phildelphia:

The process of settlement [of Islam in the United States] is a "Civilization-Jihadist" process with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who choose to slack.

[Vehmgericht]

Please, no mention of events in the Middle East until after Obama (praise be upon him) is reelected.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The bottom line is that no matter what else happens, Egypt is facing a horrific disaster.

80 million people, with enough food to feed only half of them. 10% of their population (8 million) has hepatitis C. While some may refugee-emigrate to North Sudan, few if any will be able to make it to Libya.

The bottom line is that Egypt is about to fall down hard.

It will almost certainly turn extremely violent in a vicious civil war, and the army will decide the winners in that case. But even that will not solve anything.

Probably the best thing the international community can do is to isolate Egypt until they sort themselves out.

[ZX12R]

Egypt is facing a horrific disaster. Probably the best thing the international community can do is to isolate Egypt until they sort themselves out.

I really hate to say it, but all the Islamic nations of the middle east are simply not capable of anything other than perpetual war, death, famine, horror and disaster. It's due to their culture and religion and will never change. We just have to keep them from their goal of exporting their consequent misery, hatred, brutality, barbarity, ignorance and mayhem to the rest of the currently peaceful civilized world. As long as Islam exists, no sorting out is possible.

Add the possible takeover by the ultra-religious extremist nutcases, and the acquisition of modern weaponry and technology, and you have a very grave situation, with a very grim outlook, and in many more places other than just Egypt.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

That’s one of their little paradoxes. They want the high tech military hardware, but they refuse to adapt to either using it properly, training with it, or maintaining it.

When the Mullahs took over Iran, one of the first things they did was to purge the competent Zoroastrian-led military leaders and replace them with politically correct but incompetent Imam-generals. They had no idea how all the modern equipment worked, so they decided to fight Saddam with techniques known back in Koranic times, like the human wave attack.

Not particularly effective against mechanized armor.

In any event, I suspect the eventual outcome in Egypt will be a military junta, active martial law, with most crimes punishable by death.

[ZX12R]

In any event, I suspect the eventual outcome in Egypt will be a military junta, active martial law, with most crimes punishable by death.

I agree with you, and it seems a bit funny to be thinking that would be the best possible outcome, but for those people, it probably is.