Special to WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — The Islamist movement could end Egypt’s peace treaty
with Israel, a report said.

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs asserted that the Muslim
Brotherhood along with the Salafists intend to bring Egypt to a
confrontation with Israel. In a report by reserve Israeli intelligence
officer Lt. Col. Jonathan Halevi, the center cited numerous statements by
Brotherhood and Salafist leaders to revise the 1979 treaty.

“The strategic objective of the Egyptian Islamic movements is to transform Egypt into a prime regional force that will lead the diplomatic and military battle against Israel,” the report, titled “Are Egypt’s Islamic Parties Planning to Nullify the Peace Treaty with Israel?” said.

“This means re-examining the Camp David agreement and submitting it to the decision of the new parliament that will be controlled by the Islamic parties or to a referendum — thereby alleviating the responsibility of any future Egyptian government for cancelling the peace treaty.”

The report said the Islamic opposition, which won parliament in elections in November, has sought to end the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and resume confrontation with the Jewish state. Halevi said Brotherhood leaders were examining ways to cancel the treaty without damage to Egypt’s position, particularly with the United States, which provides $1.3 billion in annual military aid.

“The Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the Nour Party, is seeking a
convenient exit point from the Camp David agreement, due to an awareness of
the implications of violating a binding diplomatic treaty under
international law and the immediate damage that the Egyptian economy is
likely to absorb as a direct result of an initiated abrogation of the Camp
David accords,” the report said.

Despite the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, the
report said, the Egyptian military continues to depend on U.S. weapons. This
included Egypt’s large fleet of F-16 multi-role fighters, M1A1 main battle
tanks, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and early-warning aircraft. The
militaries of Egypt and the United States also conduct regular exercises and
joint training.

The report said the Brotherhood was expected to launch a formal
examination of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and call for a referendum.
Halevi said the Brotherhood and the Salafists would probably accuse Israel
of failing to comply with the agreement.

The Brotherhood was also expected to push Egypt to defend the Hamas
regime in the Gaza Strip. The report warned that the Brotherhood could
demand economic and military aid to Hamas in what would threaten Israel’s
security.

“Furthermore, the strategic alliance between the Muslim Brotherhood and
Hamas may constrain Israel’s freedom of military action in Gaza — as well
as in the West Bank — because this could provoke an Egyptian military
response,including the transfer of aid, weapons and intelligence to Hamas,
the deployment of Egyptian forces in Sinai and/or in Gaza, stationing
Egyptian anti-aircraft systems on the border of Gaza, and threats of direct
military action,” the report said.

“These developments can be averted if the U.S. and its allies take a firm position against any initiative to undermine the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, and all echelons of the Egyptian
establishment are made to understand the implications of any such action.”

  Camp David agreement, Gaza Strip, Hosni Mubarak, Lt. Col. Jonathan Halevi, Muslim Brotherhood, Nour Party, Report: Egypt’s Islamists plan formal re-examination of Camp David treaty