PM warns Islamists could take control in Egypt; Israel approves Sinai troops

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Published 01:59 01.02.11

Latest update 01:59 01.02.11

PM warns Islamists could take control in Egypt; Israel approves Sinai troops

By Amos Harel and Barak Ravid

Prime Minister Netanyahu warned during his meeting yesterday with

German Chancellor Merkel in Jerusalem that the continued upheaval in

Egypt may bring to power radical Islamic elements, a repeat of the scenario that

occurred during the Iranian revolution in 1979.

Netanyahu relayed a similar message in a telephone conversation with U.S.

President Barack Obama on Saturday night, and in conversations with other world

leaders in recent days.

During his meeting with Merkel, and in a subsequent press conference, Netanyahu

stressed two points to the West. First was the message that radical Islam may

take over Egypt, and second, the fact that Israel is the only stable country in

the Middle East and therefore the West must bolster ties with it.

" We are an island of stability in the region, " Netanyahu told Merkel.

" Our concern is that when there are rapid changes, without all aspects of a

modern democracy in place, what will happen - and it has happened already in

Iran - will be the rise of an oppressive regime of radical Islam, " Netanyahu

told a press conference.

" Such a regime will crush human rights and will not allow democracy or freedom,

and will constitute a threat to peace, " the prime minister added.

Netanyahu said that the leaders with whom he spoke in recent days expressed a

similar concern. " Everyone hopes that stability will be restored in Egypt, that

the peace will be preserved and that the situation will be resolved in peaceful

ways. The sources of unrest in Egypt are not radical Islam, but in a chaotic

situation, an organized Islamist element can take over the country, " he warned.

German diplomats said yesterday that grave concerns about developments in Egypt

were raised in all meetings with their Israeli counterparts. " It sounds like the

Israelis are terrified of what may happen in Egypt, " one German diplomat said.

" There is genuine concern about the fate of the peace agreement. "

On Sunday night German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met Foreign Minister

Avigdor Lieberman in Tel Aviv.

" Israel is the sole genuine democracy in the region and therefore it is

important to bolster our alliance, " Lieberman told his German counterpart. " The

situation in Egypt must be stabilized and pressure [on the regime] cannot be

exaggerated. In the end it may result in a revolution that will bring the Muslim

Brotherhood to power. "

A similar concern was voiced by Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy, Dan

Meridor, during his meeting with German Minister of State Werner Hoyer. " If the

Muslim Brotherhood takes control the peace agreement will be at risk, " Meridor

told the German minister.

A further sign of Israeli concern about the negative impact of the upheaval in

Egypt followed in Netanyahu's comments during the joint cabinet meeting with

German and Israeli ministers. Netanyahu raised the possibility that as part of

German-Israeli cooperation a rail line could be built between Eilat and the port

of Ashdod. " This would be in case the Suez Canal is blocked or closed because of

traffic, " the prime minister said.

Nonetheless, the German chancellor did not hesitate to call on Egyptian

President Hosni Mubarak, during the press conference with Netanyahu, to carry

out political reforms. Merkel said that what has been done so far is not enough

to placate the demonstrators, and Mubarak must embark on dialogue in order to

meet their demands.

" Stability in Egypt is important, but so are human rights, " Merkel said. " We did

not abandon Mubarak and we appreciate his political role in the peace process,

but our principles cannot apply in one country and not in another, " she said.

Meanwhile, in an unusual move and with Israel's agreement, Egypt moved some 800

soldiers into Sinai in order to deal with the Bedouin unrest in the peninsula.

The deployment of the troops in the Sinai is an infringement of the peace

agreement signed between the two countries in 1979, which requires the area to

be demilitarized.

The Egyptians asked to move two battalions into the area of Sharm el-Sheikh in

southern Sinai, out of concern that the upheaval there may spiral out of

control. Egypt has moved troops into the area with Israel's acquiescence on a

number of occasions in the past five years, mostly to secure the border area

with the Gaza Strip and counter the smuggling of weapons to Hamas. There are

concerns that Hamas may use the unrest in Egypt to infiltrate terrorists into

Sinai for attacks on Israel through the peninsula.