July 26, 2012
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4208
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The government of Israel is
making all the right noises and appropriate statements expressing hope
that the new government of Egypt will maintain the cold peace.
But we should be under no
illusions. Even the greatest optimists cannot gloss over the reality
that the Islamic forces of the Muslim Brotherhood seeking to control
Egypt are committed to ultimately revoking the peace treaty. Their
motives stem not merely from nationalist xenophobia but are deeply
rooted in fanatical extremist Islamic ideology which is infinitely more
intense and inflexible. Although Mubarak treated Israel like a pariah
and exploited popular anti-Semitism, in comparison to these Islamic
zealots, he would be considered a “liberal”.
The Moslem Brotherhood is the
organization which spawned Hamas and remains adamantly committed to
wiping the “Zionist entity” off the face of the map. This was reiterated
last month by its leader Mohammed Badie, who called for “imposing
Muslim rule throughout Palestine” and “freeing it from the filth of
Zionism”.
It represents the most
intolerant wing of Islam, rejecting coexistence with other religions and
is renowned for persecuting and harassing Christians. The Brotherhood
is not merely dedicated to imposing sharia law in Egypt but is fervently
committed to achieving global conquest on behalf of Islam.
Its leaders, who during World
War ll allied themselves with the Nazis, are notorious for promoting
rabid anti-Semitism. The imams continuously remind their followers that
Jews are the descendants of apes and pigs and deserve to be killed as
enemies of the Prophet Mohammed. They have a long tradition of
assassinating opponents, terrorism and suicide bombings.
However, the Moslem Brotherhood
is pragmatic and politically savvy and thus disinclined to overplay its
hand, initially avoiding extreme behavior which could result in a break
with the US and Western countries and lead to a total meltdown of the
already disintegrating Egyptian economy. They recognize that Mubarak’s
ouster was principally propelled by economic factors and that if they
are to retain power they must feed 80 million Egyptians.
US Administration spokesmen are
burying their heads in the sand when they imply that once the
Brotherhood is in control it is likely to act responsibly and provide a
pluralistic environment for Egyptians. Even more absurd are the
reassurances that it is undergoing a liberal transformation and
committed to maintaining a democratic system of government. Similar
delusionary nonsense was disseminated about Hamas when it
“democratically” gained control of Gaza.
Every “elected” radical Islamic
group has ultimately imposed a regime in which political opponents and
other independent societal elements were marginalized. One need only
observe the more "democratic" and "liberal" Erdogan Islamist regime in
Turkey which, in a relatively short time, completely eradicated the
reforms of Kemal Ataturk, imprisoned the former military leaders and
replaced the secular military government with an Islamic authoritarian
regime. The Moslem Brotherhood is far more radical than its Islamic
Turkish counterpart.
The reality is that democracy
cannot survive in a society dominated by Islamic extremists who brook no
opposition. Indeed, much as we despise authoritarian, dictatorial and
even totalitarian regimes, precedents clearly indicate that a regime
ruled by Islamic fanatics is likely to be far more oppressive than a
military autocracy.
Although weakened, the military
did dissolve the Islamic fundamentalist dominated parliament and still
represents a barrier to total Moslem Brotherhood control. But it is
likely to avoid a direct confrontation unless it is confident it has
public support. In this explosive environment, US pressure on the
military to stand down can only serve to further undermine Western
interests and lead to intensified oppression.
We should not expect newly
elected President Mohamed Morsi to be a moderating influence. His recent
undertakings to act on behalf of the entire Egyptian people are totally
out of synch with his long standing record of support for hardline
Brotherhood policies.
Just prior to the election,
Morsi announced that the Koran would be the constitution of Egypt and
“that this nation will enjoy blessing and revival only through the
Islamic sharia. I swear for Allah and before you all that regardless of
the actual text [of the constitution]… it will truly reflect the
sharia”.
Morsi, who refused to accept a
congratulatory call from Prime Minister Netanyahu, stated that he would
honor Egypt’s existing international agreements including the peace
treaty with Israel. Yet he repeatedly includes the caveat that it is
necessary to re-examine the 1978 Camp David agreements and that if
Israel’s leaders (who he previously referred to as "vampires" and
"murderers") did not keep their commitments to the Palestinian people,
Egypt was not obliged to honor the peace treaty. Oft repeated chants
expressed at his rallies included “Morsi will liberate Gaza “,
“Jerusalem will become the capital of the United Arab nation” and “death
for the sake of Allah is our most lofty aspiration”.
Setting aside the current
“standoff” with Israel, there is every likelihood that at a future time
of his choosing, like Arafat, Morsi is likely to suggest that the
Prophet’s violation of the Treaty of Hudaybiya in 629 AD on the grounds
that agreements with infidels and Jews need not be honored, was a
historical precedent that could be applied against Israel.
Any doubt about Morsi’s outlook
towards the West was clarified with his televised inaugural presidential
speech which the US Government ignored. He proclaimed that “it is my
duty to make all efforts” to seek the release of the “Blind Sheikh”,
Egyptian Omar Abdel Rahman, who headed the terrorist group which
allegedly orchestrated the assassination of Sadat, was accused of being
allied with Osama Bin Laden and is now serving a life sentence in a
North Carolina prison for conspiring in 1993 to destroy the World Trade
Center and seeking to bomb New York City landmarks.
In reporting this, the New York
Times observed that Morsi had previously remarked that he suspected that
unknown hidden hands might have played a role in the 9/11 World Trade
Center bombings. “When you come and tell me that the plane hit the tower
like a knife in butter, you are insulting us".
Now, notwithstanding
undertakings to Jewish leaders that he would not invite Morsi to the
White House unless he made a public commitment to genuinely adhere to
the peace treaty with Israel, Obama has announced that he will be
hosting the man who will urge him to release an unrepentant major global
terrorist leader.
We in Israel are on the front
lines. We may enjoy relative tranquility from Egypt in the short-term
due to the prevailing chaos and restraints from the military. However,
Hamas now feels confident that in the event of a future clash with
Israel, Egypt is likely to provide it with maximum support and may
ultimately even join it in confronting us.
This means that our border with
Egypt will need to be strongly secured and Israel must gird itself for
an increase in terrorist attacks emanating from the Sinai Peninsula.
These are likely to include missile attacks, making the relationship
with Egypt extremely fragile.
The only bright side of this
dismal picture is the awareness by our adversaries of incredible power
of the IDF. This ultimately represents the greatest deterrent against
further deterioration or escalation of assaults against us.
He may be contacted at ileibler@netvision.net.il
This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom
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