Israel’s worst fears on the so-called democratic revolution in Egypt seem to be taking shape, with a majority of Egyptians calling for an annulment of the peace agreement and extensive support for the terror-aligned Muslim Brotherhood continuing to take root, according to a new poll of Egyptians from the Pew Research Center.
Pew found that 54 percent of Egyptians seek the dissolution of the peace agreement between their country and Israel, even though the pact brought an end to decades of nearly constant skirmishes along the border and led to substantive economic gains for the Egyptians. While the peace has most certainly not been warm and terribly amicable, both countries continue to gain from the agreement.
Egypt, for example, can export certain goods to the United States tax free, provided that at least %10.5 percent of the product is manufactured with Israeli materials. Further, Israel also purchases oil from Egypt, as many of Israel’s neighbors refuse to engage in any relations with the Jewish State.
Israel, similarly, had a major ally in former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who used the country’s military to clamp down on terrorism and thwart weapons smuggling to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The end of the peace agreement would undoubtedly cut the economic cooperation between Israel and Egypt, with Israel also likely holding Egypt accountable if more guns, rockets and weapons reach the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Hamas terror group.
The continuation of the peace pact between Egypt and Israel is clearly in both countries’ interests, but the reticence to embrace the agreement could stem from another Pew finding — nearly three quarters of Egyptians have a favorable view of the Muslim Brotherhood. Pew found that 37 percent of Egyptians have a very favorable opinion of the group, while an additional 38 percent are somewhat favorable toward the organization.
Later this year, Egypt is expected to undertake serious democratic reforms, with the recent data suggesting that the Muslim Brotherhood could gain substantial governing influence once Egyptians go to the polls. The Muslim Brotherhood’s track record vis-a-vis Israel is mixed, at best. The group has made statements that the peace treaty’s fate should be left up to the people, with a top organization official calling for the annulment of the pact. The Muslim Brotherhood is also the parent organization to Hamas, which launched a coup of the Gaza Strip and now uses its footprint on Israel’s banks to launch thousands of rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians. And that’s not to mention Hamas’ continued imprisonment of an Israeli soldier, charter calling for the destruction of Israel and perpetual endorsement of murdering its own citizens to harm Israel in any way possible.
Israel has avoided taking sides in the Arab Spring, which could very well turn the oppressed into the oppressors should they choose to be governed by radical Islamists that reject Western values in exchange for the subjugation of women and religious minorities. Israel has, though, expressed that its main concern is for the maintaining and strengthening of its relationship with its neighbors — including Egypt and Jordan.
However, while Israel has stayed somewhat silent on how to achieve its desired outcome, the country’s fears appear to be morphing into reality. Under the guise of democracy, the Egyptians appear to be rejecting the values underpinning democratic reforms and instead embracing an organization that only seeks to strip rights from the population in order to implement its radical version of Sharia law.
Supporters of democratic reforms in Egypt have largely described as premature the notion that peace with Israel will crumble and that a new radical Islamic state will emerge. Those fears, though, appear more rooted in reality than any contention to the contrary.
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