BICOM

Israeli officials are pressing Washington and European capitals not to withdraw support from the Egyptian military, fearing the descent of the country into chaos, according a report in the New York Times. The paper quotes an Israeli official saying, “We’re trying to talk to key actors, key countries, and share our view that you may not like what you see, but what’s the alternative?” The official told the paper, “At this point, it’s army or anarchy.”

The Israeli cabinet held an urgent meeting on Friday to review the situation in Egypt, but ministers and officials have kept a strict official silence, not wanting to be seen as interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs.

EU ambassadors are to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to review EU assistance to Egypt, whilst US politicians are debating whether to maintain Washington’s $1.3 billion annual assistance to the Egyptian military.

Meanwhile Israel’s concerns for the future of its thirty year peace with Egypt were underlined after Egyptian media reported that the Tamarod movement which spearheaded the protests to unseat President Morsi initiated a petition calling for the cancellation of the peace treaty with Israel, and US military aid. The movement reportedly claims that the treaty limits Egypt’s ability to act against armed groups in the Sinai.

Israel has maintained close cooperation with the Egyptian military since the ousting of President Mubarak in 2010, even during the period of Morsi’s presidency. Israel and the Egyptian military have clear shared interests in containing radical Jihadist activity in the Sinai which has been a base of attacks against both Egyptian military and infrastructure targets and Israel, as well as providing a staging ground for armed groups from the Gaza Strip. Violence in the Sinai is also costing the Egyptian economy heavily in lost revenue from tourism. Israel has repeatedly allowed Egypt to deploy additional forces in the Sinai, which according to the peace agreement is supposed to be demilitarised.