Presidential candidates Mohamed Selim al-Awa and Khaled Ali on Monday welcomed the decision to stop exporting Egyptian gas to Israel and regarded it as a purely commercial issue unrelated to the peace agreement signed between the two countries.
“The decision would not threaten national security,” said Islamist candidate Awa. “The contract between the Egyptian General Petroleum Authority and the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Company, which exports the gas to Israel, was terminated, that is all.”
“Threats that Israel would occupy Sinai or demand compensation are completely false,” he added. “Israel is not ready to declare war on Egypt because it is already threatened by Iran, Syria and Lebanon.”
Awa explained that the price for which Egypt exports the gas to Israel is very low, and that the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that it should be adjusted. “But former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and former Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmy did not carry out the ruling,” he said.
Leftist candidate Ali opined that the decision came at the right time to curb the anger of the Egyptian street. “People here suffer from a shortage of gas,” he said. “I have always called for stopping the gas exports, and I hope we stop exporting to Jordan and Spain as well.”
This article is an edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
