JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli Cabinet minister says defense officials are concerned for the future of the peace treaty with Egypt after a predicted rise to power by Islamists in the key Arab neighbor.
Homeland Security Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio on Wednesday that Israel was preparing for the possibility of a victory by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
He says once a new government in Egypt stabilizes, Israel expects a “grave erosion” of the landmark peace treaty — the first between an Arab nation and the Jewish state. He did not elaborate.
The two nations made peace in 1979 and the accord has been a major stabilizing factor in the volatile region.
