Israel refuses to comment on fall of Morsi

The Government of Israel has refused to comment officially one way or the other on the ousting of Egypt’s elected President Mohammed Morsi. A Likud member of the parliament close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, expressed his hope that the interim president in Cairo, Adli Mansour, will resume bilateral contacts with Israel.

Tzahi Hanegbi, who is also on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, praised what he described as Israel’s continued good relationships with the Egyptian armed forces. He stressed that there were “legitimate doubts” over the Camp David peace treaty, signed with Egypt in 1979, “as Morsi cut all diplomatic contacts with Israel” during his year in office.

“The events of [Wednesday] strengthen our feeling that we might have passed the bad period,” Hanegbi told Israel’s Army Radio, “and that there might be an opportunity now for diplomatic relations with the person who will rule Egypt in the near future, whoever he is.”

Retired general and former national security adviser Giora Eiland was asked by the radio host if the Israel Defence Forces would ever be happy to oust an Israeli elected leader. “I think so,” he replied, “but, of course, they can’t say that.”