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Egyptian Turmoil Snaps Israel Out of Decades of Peace Reverie

(The Australian) Abraham Rabinovich - History is turning the page on a new chapter in the Middle East saga, but for Israelis, the story appeared to be moving backward rather than forward. The sudden prospect of the Mubarak regime in Egypt being overthrown snapped Israelis out of the 32-year reverie they permitted themselves since the peace agreement with Egypt was signed following the Yom Kippur War. The chaos in Egypt raised the prospect that a hostile regime could again rise in Cairo and renounce the treaty. Should that happen, Jordan would likely renounce its treaty with Israel too and the informal relations Israel has developed with several other Arab countries would wither. Once again, Israel would find itself surrounded only by hostile neighbors. As long as Egypt, with its million-man army, was no longer part of the confrontation, Israel felt no existential threat. Thus, Israel was able to wage two wars in Lebanon (in 1982 and 2006), put down two Palestinian intifadas and undertake a massive incursion into the Gaza Strip (in 2009) without having to cover its Egyptian flank. In addition, the benign regime of Hosni Mubarak brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and attempted to keep foreign asylum-seekers and armed militants from entering Israel across the long border the countries share. Mubarak cooperated with Israel in curbing Hamas, keeping his border with Gaza closed while Israel imposed an embargo from its end. Retired Israeli Major General Giora Eiland said this week: "Even if the worst-case situation happens, it will take the new (Egyptian) regime a few years to shape its policies. So...we will have enough time to prepare."
2011-02-11 00:00:00
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