Israel: Assad's fall means Islamic empire

The head of Israel’s defence ministry’s diplomatic-security bureau, Amos Gilad warned of a possible “Islamic empire” if Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad were to be ousted. He said that the removal of the Syrian leader would lead to a “devastating crisis for Israel.” His statement was broadcasted by Israeli Army Radio on Monday, in which he said if Assad were ousted by the popular revolt; the Middle East would be facing an Islamic empire led by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Syria. His went on to say that there would be an increased potential of war and Israel would be threatened by “wars with Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Syria and Jordan if the Syrian Revolution succeeds in overthrowing Al-Assad’s regime.” He argued that the Muslim Brotherhood, one of Egypt’s largest political organisations, with branches in Jordan and Syria, “aims to eliminate Israel and build an Islamic empire controlling the entire region and destroy Israel.” “Israel feels the dangers coming from Egypt, so it decided to develop relations with Turkey so it will not have to fight Muslims, which would certainly cause the end of Israel,” Gilad added. He added that Israel worked on improving its relations with Turkey in order to avoid the rupture of diplomatic relations and not face war with Muslims on several fronts. An analyst for security affairs in 'Yedioth Ahronoth', citing senior officials in Tel Aviv, who expressed their shock at the Salafi Al-Nour party winning in the Egyptian elections with about 20 per cent, claimed it was a radical group who believed in destroying Israel. The analyst also expressed Israel’s concerns about the Egyptian ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) that may be forced to cooperate with the Islamists groups, and will try to convince these groups to work with liberals and the Coptic minority or rig the elections in the second round of the Egyptian elections. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the Egyptian elections, according to Israeli news organisation Haaretz, saying the radical Islamist groups were on the way to ruling Arab countries after a long time of military ruling. He added that it was difficult to determine the longevity of the current instability. Netanyahu continued saying that stability was set to disappear from the political scene in Middle East, especially after the US military withdrawal from Iraq. He stated that Libya had become the largest store of illegal weapons, and so Israel had to face huge challenges, which would have repercussions on Israel's national security. About the peace treaty with Egypt, Netanyahu hoped that Egypt would be committed to it, as they received US aid for achieving peace. On another hand, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, conducted a study about the potential disagreement between Islamists and the army in Egypt, stating that it was expected to raise a disagreement between the army, which is supported by the liberals and the Coptic minority, and the Islamist groups, which won the Egyptian elections. The researcher expected that, in case of growing conflicts between the two parties, events might lead to a two-year ‘civil war’ in Egypt, and Israel’s officials hope the army could retain control. According to another study by the Center for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty is awaiting the final verdict as its future is ambiguous at best. It also added that relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv have weakened since the toppling of Mubark’s regime, and in case the two countries did not try to solve them, it may lead to war.