Israel eyes border amid ongoing protests in Egypt

Israel News.Net
Sunday 30th January, 2011

If popular uprisings in Egypt force Mubarak from power, it will precipitate a regime change that could have regional ramifications, which has put Israel on edge.

When the Tunisian dictator Ben Ali was forced to flee his country amid an uprising, it was considered a significant show of the peoples’ ability to stand up for themselves, but was isolated to the country.

If Mubarak is forced from power and the Egyptian government falls, it will be very different, with ramifications across the region.

This is the fear in Israel, where an official silence has been undermined by decisions taken at the highest level of government.

According to reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his government not to speak about Egypt publicly, but the concerns pervading Tel Aviv are evident in the government’s decision to evacuate scores of diplomats’ families and tourists from the country.

The government reportedly chartered a plane from Sun D’Or, a subsidiary of Israel’s national airline, El Al, and had Israeli tourists and diplomats’ family members removed from the country on an emergency flight.

At the same time, the government issued a travel advisory warning citizens not to visit the country. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has indicated it has no intention of removing its diplomats at the present time.

The fear in Israel is that a regime change may impact the wider region, especially if anti-Israel opposition groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, obtain a stronger voice in the new government.

Mubarak’s Egypt was one of the first countries in the region, along with Jordan, to recognise Israel and although relations have been cool to frosty, they have remained peaceful.

“If there is a regime change, Israel will have to reassess its strategy to protect its border from one of the most modern militaries in the region,” an Israeli official said, speaking with the Associated Press.

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