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Egypt Staying Quiet on Israeli Moves in West Bank

(Times of Israel) Aaron Boxerman - While Egypt has expressed concern over possible moves to extend Israeli law in parts of the West Bank, the Palestinian cause may no longer be the regime's main priority. Balancing numerous crises, the Egyptian government can ill-afford to alienate close allies, especially Israel and the U.S., analysts say. "There are far more substantial crises facing Egypt today: the coronavirus crisis and its attendant economic consequences, Turkish military intervention on Egypt's longest border [in Libya], the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. All of these crises take priority," said Ofer Winter, who studies Egyptian-Israeli relations at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. "There is widespread sympathy for the Palestinians, and that's not going away....But the importance of the Palestinian cause is no longer the same. It's no longer the Nasser era or the Sadat era," an Egyptian foreign affairs analyst said. If Israel takes steps in the West Bank, Egypt "will keep rehashing all the old diplomatic statements to express their disagreement....But I don't think Netanyahu's relationship with Sissi will be affected."
2020-06-30 00:00:00
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