Israel to start diplomatic efforts in support of military rule in Egypt

Israel is to step up diplomatic efforts urging the US and Western countries to support the military-backed government in Egypt, despite a deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters, an Israeli official told the New York Times on Monday.

The official, who is involved in the efforts according the NYT, said Israeli ambassadors in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and other capitals would be lobbying foreign ministers.

At the same time, leaders in Israel will press the case, with diplomats from abroad, that the military is the only way to prevent further chaos in Cairo.

Ignoring democracy and rules of governance, the Israeli official said, “We are trying to talk to key actors, key countries, and share our view that you [US and EU] may not like what you see, but what is the alternative?”

The Israeli official ignored the massacres being committed in Egypt on a daily basis when he was speaking to NYT. He explained that the end of the chaos in Egypt could not be brought about unless it was at the hands of the army, “It is army or anarchy.”

An Israeli columnist in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Alex Fishman, wrote, “Israel is in a state of diplomatic emergency. It has been waging an almost desperate diplomatic battle in Washington.”

The NYT said that Michael B Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the US, has been forcefully arguing for the continuation of Washington’s $1.5 billion annual aid to Egypt, since the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi by Egypt’s military General Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, on July 3.