Anti-Israel activisten als Electronic Intifada oprichter Abunimah spinnen de zaak alweer zo op twitter en blogs dat Israel en de VS aan de kant van de boze dictators staan en de Palestijnen (vooral Hamas) aan de kant van het goede volk. Zo houden we het simpel en overzichtelijk, en het vertrouwde vijandbeeld in stand. Israel heeft inderdaad belang bij een goede relatie met Egypte, maar die met Mubarak was niet in alle opzichten even goed. Toch was deze relatie voor Israel belangrijk, en zij maakt zich terecht zorgen dat als Mubarak weggaat die relatie weleens zou kunnen verslechteren. Wanneer de opstand in Egypte niet wordt gekaapt door de Moslim Broederschap en Iran er geen rol in krijgt, is de kans echter groot dat het vredesverdrag met Israel in stand blijft. Egypte heeft net zo min als Israel belang bij hernieuwde vijandelijkheden. Laten we niet vergeten dat Egypte vier oorlogen van Israel heeft verloren. Het vredesverdrag is dus evenzeer in haar belang als in dat van Israel.
Een werkelijk democratisch en vrij Midden-Oosten kan veel baat hebben van een goede relatie en samenwerking met Israel, op economisch gebied, technologisch gebied, milieu, ontzouten van water, irrigatie, genereren van zonne-energie, etc. etc. Israel is op deze gebieden de andere staten ver vooruit, en is in ruil voor vrede en normalisatie ongetwijfeld bereid deze kennis te delen. Anti-zionisten als Abunimah creëren een valse tegenstelling tussen het Arabische volk en Israel. Ze hoeven geen vijanden te zijn, integendeel. En de ophitsing van dit soort lui dient geen ander doel dan vergroten van haat en vijandschap, en daar is niemand mee gediend.
RP
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Israel keeps diplomats in Egypt, but pulls out dependents
With the situation in Egypt seemingly spiraling out of President Hosni Mubarak's control, the Foreign Ministry on Saturday evacuated the family members of diplomatic personnel serving in the embassy in Cairo, but stopped well short of pulling out all diplomatic personnel.
A flight carrying the spouses, family members and children of Israeli envoys in Egypt arrived at Ben-Gurion airport, along with 40 Israeli citizens who were in Egypt on private business and wanted to return home.
Foreign Ministry officials said there were currently no plans to evacuate the Israeli diplomats themselves, including ambassador Yitzhak Levanon, and that there was no threat to their security.
"There is no need to flee," one official said. "This is not an option. There are no attacks on our envoys, or on other embassies. The other embassies are also not evacuating their personnel." The decision to return the families of diplomats to Israel was taken at one of three consultations on the situation in Egypt that were held at the Foreign Ministry on Friday and Saturday.
During those consultations, information coming in from Egypt was evaluated, assessments made and then passed on to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the government.
Israel, unlike the US and the EU, has made no official comment on the situation inside Egypt, and – both because it does not want to be seen as meddling in any way in Egyptian affairs, and because of the sensitivity of the matter and the massive ramifications the events in Egypt are likely to have on Israel's strategic situation in the region-- is unlikely to do so in the near future.
The Prime Minister's Office on Saturday night had no comment whatsoever on the events. On Friday the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory recommending Israelis to refrain from "non-essential" travel to Egypt, including to Sinai. Israelis already in Egypt were advised to monitor the situation, abide by the instruction of local authorities, and stay away from "open areas." The National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau urged Israelis in Egypt to return to Israel.
Senior security officials said that there were a few dozen Israelis currently known to be in Egypt and the Foreign Ministry was working to contact families to urge their relatives to return home.
"This is not a time to be there," a senior security official said. "Egypt is currently not a safe place."
According to the official, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau and the Tourism Ministry were in touch with travel agencies in an effort to cancel organized tours of Israelis to Egypt this week.
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report
A flight carrying the spouses, family members and children of Israeli envoys in Egypt arrived at Ben-Gurion airport, along with 40 Israeli citizens who were in Egypt on private business and wanted to return home.
Foreign Ministry officials said there were currently no plans to evacuate the Israeli diplomats themselves, including ambassador Yitzhak Levanon, and that there was no threat to their security.
"There is no need to flee," one official said. "This is not an option. There are no attacks on our envoys, or on other embassies. The other embassies are also not evacuating their personnel." The decision to return the families of diplomats to Israel was taken at one of three consultations on the situation in Egypt that were held at the Foreign Ministry on Friday and Saturday.
During those consultations, information coming in from Egypt was evaluated, assessments made and then passed on to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the government.
Israel, unlike the US and the EU, has made no official comment on the situation inside Egypt, and – both because it does not want to be seen as meddling in any way in Egyptian affairs, and because of the sensitivity of the matter and the massive ramifications the events in Egypt are likely to have on Israel's strategic situation in the region-- is unlikely to do so in the near future.
The Prime Minister's Office on Saturday night had no comment whatsoever on the events. On Friday the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory recommending Israelis to refrain from "non-essential" travel to Egypt, including to Sinai. Israelis already in Egypt were advised to monitor the situation, abide by the instruction of local authorities, and stay away from "open areas." The National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau urged Israelis in Egypt to return to Israel.
Senior security officials said that there were a few dozen Israelis currently known to be in Egypt and the Foreign Ministry was working to contact families to urge their relatives to return home.
"This is not a time to be there," a senior security official said. "Egypt is currently not a safe place."
According to the official, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau and the Tourism Ministry were in touch with travel agencies in an effort to cancel organized tours of Israelis to Egypt this week.
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report
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