Egypt cannot cancel its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, former Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Yitzhak Levanon said in an article published Sunday.
Levanon told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai that Egypt will not achieve post-revolutionary progress if it has disputes with Israel.
The former ambassador said Egypt understands the treaty is strategic and important for the whole region, adding that the Muslim Brotherhood — which won a majority of parliamentary seats — is proving more flexible than before.
Israel and Egypt have been able to maintain stable relations a year after Egypt’s uprising, Levanon said, calling this a success.
Levanon said that despite requests from Egyptian MPs, Egypt will never reconsider the treaty because it is the president’s, not Parliament’s, decision. If the president is absent, the decision is in the hands of the ruling military council.
The former ambassador said he found that no one wants to revive the days of war between Egypt and Israel, despite the possibility of conflicts related to Palestine.
Relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv deteriorated after the killing of six Egyptian security officers in an Israeli border raid in August. The incident sparked a public uproar in Egypt. Some called for expelling the Israeli ambassador and canceling the 1979 treaty.
In the aftermath of the Egyptian uprising, Israel expressed fears on several occasions regarding Islamists’ intentions toward peace with Israel.
