Officials: Protection of Sinai May Bring Morsi Closer to Israel
by JNS.org
While the Israeli government said the Muslim Brotherhood’s assertion that Mossad is behind Sunday’s attack in Sinai is “nonsense,” demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli ambassador’s residence in Egypt Monday to protest what they believed to be Israel’s role in the attack.
A report in Al-Ahram, according to the Jerusalem Post, said that the demonstrators claimed there “was no doubt that Israel is behind this [attack]. We demand that all diplomatic relations with Israel be terminated.” They also expressed anger at the Egyptian government for failing to respond militarily to the attack.
According to the New York Times, high-ranking Israeli officials and independent experts on Israel-Egypt relations said the attack shows that the Egyptian and Israeli governments are both threatened by violence in the Sinai and will have to make concessions to control the lawlessness in the region.
“Now it is obvious also to [Morsi] that there is a real convergence of interests here, and this may get us closer to him,” Danny Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, said.