Observation: Countdown to disaster with Egypt? Is this already the eleventh
hour?

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 17 August 2012

Israel Radio Arab Affairs analyst Eran Zinger reported during the noon news
magazine program that in recent day Egypt has deployed anti-aircraft
missiles near Israel's border in Egyptian Sinai without permission from
Israel.

Such equipment is prohibited in the area according to the Egypt-Israel peace
treaty.

Suffice it to say that the Bedouins in Sinai that Egypt are ostensibly
deploying forces to battle do not possess either helicopters or planes.

Egyptian President Morsy isn't just a chess player. He is a speed chess
player.

He has achieved more to consolidate his power in a few weeks than his
Turkish counterpart did in years.

And he is not stopping anytime soon.

President Morsy is operating at a fantastic advantage. Thanks to years of
experience interacting with Americans both as a graduate student and then as
an assistant professor at California State University Northridge in the
early 1980's, he doesn't need to rely on advisors to figure out how to best
manipulate the useful idiots in Washington.

And despite whatever messages may be making their way from Jerusalem behind
the scenes, Morsy also is observing that Israel appears to be determined to
bend over backwards to avoid developments in Sinai leading to a
confrontation.

So just what is President Morsy's goal?

"Only" restoration of full sovereignty in the Sinai as expressed by
unrestricted force deployments up to Israel's border?

Or is this nothing more than a move on the board on the way to a greater
goal?

Hint: President Morsy isn't from the Boy Scouts. He is from the Egyptian
Moslem Brotherhood, a group openly committed to the destruction of the State
of Israel.

Clarification: President Morsy never said that Egypt would honor the treaty
with Israel come what may. He and the other Egyptian officials have always
made it clear that international treaties would be honored as long as the
other parties to those agreements honor them. How much effort would it take
for Egypt to come up with an argument, if it wanted to, that Israel has not
honored the treaty?

In the panel discussion that followed Zinger's report, it was observed that
the short term consequences of what is taking place now in the Sinai may be
more catastrophic for Israel than the short term consequences of
developments in Iran.

Will Israel's leadership address this challenge before it is too late?

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il