"At the same time, however, the army's high command seems reluctant to
resume gas exports to Israel for fear of public reaction."
The gas pipeline, which also supplies Jordan and Syria, was damaged in a
bombing on Feb. 5. The Egyptian-Israeli supplier of the gas to the Jewish
state has twice delayed the starting date of renewed operations but the
Israeli media reported the resumption of the pipeline on March 16.
"At this point, the hesitancy is political in nature, not a function of
technical difficulties," the report, titled "The Arab Revolutions: An
Israeli Perspective, said.
The report said Egypt's ruling council was concerned over an
investigation into allegations that the former regime of ousted President
Hosni Mubarak was bribed to approve the gas sale to Israel. One suspect was
Mubarak's friend, Hussein Salem, who fled Egypt for the Gulf in February.
"The longer this suspension continues, the more difficulty Cairo will
have announcing a resumption in sales," the report said. "The latest word
from the new government is that the gas supply will resume soon but prices
will be renegotiated."