Speaking to the Knesset on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would confront any danger coming from Sinai “with an iron fist.”
He also said that Israel is committed to the peace treaties it has signed with Egypt and Jordan, and expressed hope that Egypt’s coming government would be similarly committed its treaty with Israel.
“This was Netanyahu’s response to statements by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis about respecting the peace treaty,” said Emad Gad of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. ”Israel wants deeds not statements.”
Meanwhile, an Israeli envoy left Cairo on board a military plane following a short visit to meet with Egyptian officials and discuss relations between the two countries.
The envoy also met with security officials and discussed the case of Arab-Israelis referred to court on charges of smuggling weapons into Egypt.
Tarek Fahmy of the Middle East Research Center speculated that the envoy's primary purpose of visiting was to express Israel’s concern about raproachment between Hamas and Egyptian Islamists.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
