The late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat?s words ring true now more then ever. He said that while Egypt acquired the Sinai Peninsula following the original Camp David negotiations, Israel had received a mere ?piece of paper.? (New York Times, October 19, 1980)
The guiding principle of Land for Peace is supposed to be exactly what that phrase implies, the trading of territory for a commitment of peace along with a normalization of relations. But for the past twenty-five years since Anwar Sadat?s visit to Jerusalem, that peace has been transparent, covering yet also displaying the hostility for Israel that continued after the signing of the Camp David accords. Within the past few years it has hardly been even ?cold peace,? as so many have wishfully phrased this perpetually poor state of relations.The events of the recent past have made the blatant hostility difficult to miss.
This past month, Egyptians have been tuning en masse to the showing of Knight Without a Horse - a forty-one part series on Egyptian Television that displays classic anti-Semitic themes of the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols is a forgery that portrays Jews seeking world domination. The program ?Knight Without a Horse? depicts Jews seeking ways to preserve the book, and carry on the mission that its theme espouses. Yet, Knight Without a Horse is more then a display of classic anti-Semitic themes; it is a low point in years of insidious anti-Jewish propaganda shown on government-run TV, radio, and in the newspapers. It follows years of disseminating themes such as comparisons between Jews and Nazis, Holocaust denials, Jewish world domination conspiracy theories, the dreaded blood libel accusation, along with calls for the destruction of Israel. One column published in the government run al Akhbar on May 2, 2002, went as far as to state, ?Oh Hitler, if you had only succeeded.? Often appearing are cartoons of images with anti-Semitic themes. One typical example depicts Ariel Sharon as a Dracula-like figure thirsting for Arab blood.
Many sources, including Secretary of State Collin Powell, and members of the US Congress have called upon the Egyptians not to air ?Knight Without a Horse?. The Egyptian government, defiantly, and true to fashion, defended the airing of the program as "free expression." Even to assume that somehow Egypt suddenly became a democracy valuing such "free expressions," what ever happened to the promises and guarantees of Camp David, which called for the end of hateful propaganda?
What motivates Egypt?s leaders and media outlets to propagate such hatred? With the espousal of such propaganda they are validating their own position, which rejects the normalization of relations with Israel.
Yet it does not end with mere propaganda. Egypt has assisted in transporting arms to the Palestinian Authority from the Sinai to Gaza. The IDF have discovered over forty tunnels, which extend through the Egyptian border from the Sinai into the Gaza city of Rafah. According to IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, when the IDF recently exploded a tunnel near Rafah used by the Palestinian Authority to smuggle weapons, smoke from the explosion could be seen rising from an Egyptian army position on the Egyptian side of the Sinai. After months of arms smuggling, on Oct 11, the Israelis registered an official complaint with the Egyptians. As expected there was no response other then usual name calling against Israel. Ironically, during the same week, Egypt called upon the United Nations to implement a plan of action through the UN to confront the illegal proliferation of small and light weapons. In their request, apparently, they neglected to add on ?unless intended to be used against Jews.? Putting aside the violations of Camp David here, it is generally a given that nations at peace don?t supply each other?s enemies with weapons.
The Egyptian army has been busy modernizing and upgrading its tanks, planes, and defense systems. They also recently purchased components for intermediate range No-Dong missiles from North Korea. At the beginning of November, the Egyptian army held a live exercise in the Sinai, moving massive forces though the Peninsula. This is not the first time such exercises were held. The Suez Canal was crossed, which was followed by simulated attacks upon enemy installations. The exercise, which used live ammunition, was meant to commemorate the crossing of the Suez at the onset of the1973 Yom Kippur war. Egypt?s defense Minister Hussein Tantawi stated about the exercise, ?What we are witnessing today increases our confidence in the combat readiness of the defense forces, which are equipped with advanced equipment and weapons.? ?Combat readiness? against whom? Who is the enemy, which lies beyond the Sinai border and that necessitates Egypt?s combat readiness? Why the massive military buildup (thanks to U.S. aid) in a country with a struggling economy, and supposedly not in a state of war with any of its neighbors? The questions go on.
In addition, Egypt was the host and facilitator of the recent conference between Palestinian terrorist groups, during which they no doubt mulled over with the groups the most appropriate times and places to strike Israelis. They also provided a mediator for the talks. How?s that for Salaam?
The sheer blatancy of it all! There seems to be no accountability. The time is overdue for the US government to take heed as to how the majority of the annual 2.1 billion in aid to Egypt is spent. It is time to learn lessons from the past, and look at how today?s ?ally? might become another nemesis tomorrow. It is also time for Israel to consider the nature of the future threat it might face from its southern border.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Larry Domnitch is an author and educator who resides in Efrat.
The guiding principle of Land for Peace is supposed to be exactly what that phrase implies, the trading of territory for a commitment of peace along with a normalization of relations. But for the past twenty-five years since Anwar Sadat?s visit to Jerusalem, that peace has been transparent, covering yet also displaying the hostility for Israel that continued after the signing of the Camp David accords. Within the past few years it has hardly been even ?cold peace,? as so many have wishfully phrased this perpetually poor state of relations.The events of the recent past have made the blatant hostility difficult to miss.
This past month, Egyptians have been tuning en masse to the showing of Knight Without a Horse - a forty-one part series on Egyptian Television that displays classic anti-Semitic themes of the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols is a forgery that portrays Jews seeking world domination. The program ?Knight Without a Horse? depicts Jews seeking ways to preserve the book, and carry on the mission that its theme espouses. Yet, Knight Without a Horse is more then a display of classic anti-Semitic themes; it is a low point in years of insidious anti-Jewish propaganda shown on government-run TV, radio, and in the newspapers. It follows years of disseminating themes such as comparisons between Jews and Nazis, Holocaust denials, Jewish world domination conspiracy theories, the dreaded blood libel accusation, along with calls for the destruction of Israel. One column published in the government run al Akhbar on May 2, 2002, went as far as to state, ?Oh Hitler, if you had only succeeded.? Often appearing are cartoons of images with anti-Semitic themes. One typical example depicts Ariel Sharon as a Dracula-like figure thirsting for Arab blood.
Many sources, including Secretary of State Collin Powell, and members of the US Congress have called upon the Egyptians not to air ?Knight Without a Horse?. The Egyptian government, defiantly, and true to fashion, defended the airing of the program as "free expression." Even to assume that somehow Egypt suddenly became a democracy valuing such "free expressions," what ever happened to the promises and guarantees of Camp David, which called for the end of hateful propaganda?
What motivates Egypt?s leaders and media outlets to propagate such hatred? With the espousal of such propaganda they are validating their own position, which rejects the normalization of relations with Israel.
Yet it does not end with mere propaganda. Egypt has assisted in transporting arms to the Palestinian Authority from the Sinai to Gaza. The IDF have discovered over forty tunnels, which extend through the Egyptian border from the Sinai into the Gaza city of Rafah. According to IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, when the IDF recently exploded a tunnel near Rafah used by the Palestinian Authority to smuggle weapons, smoke from the explosion could be seen rising from an Egyptian army position on the Egyptian side of the Sinai. After months of arms smuggling, on Oct 11, the Israelis registered an official complaint with the Egyptians. As expected there was no response other then usual name calling against Israel. Ironically, during the same week, Egypt called upon the United Nations to implement a plan of action through the UN to confront the illegal proliferation of small and light weapons. In their request, apparently, they neglected to add on ?unless intended to be used against Jews.? Putting aside the violations of Camp David here, it is generally a given that nations at peace don?t supply each other?s enemies with weapons.
The Egyptian army has been busy modernizing and upgrading its tanks, planes, and defense systems. They also recently purchased components for intermediate range No-Dong missiles from North Korea. At the beginning of November, the Egyptian army held a live exercise in the Sinai, moving massive forces though the Peninsula. This is not the first time such exercises were held. The Suez Canal was crossed, which was followed by simulated attacks upon enemy installations. The exercise, which used live ammunition, was meant to commemorate the crossing of the Suez at the onset of the1973 Yom Kippur war. Egypt?s defense Minister Hussein Tantawi stated about the exercise, ?What we are witnessing today increases our confidence in the combat readiness of the defense forces, which are equipped with advanced equipment and weapons.? ?Combat readiness? against whom? Who is the enemy, which lies beyond the Sinai border and that necessitates Egypt?s combat readiness? Why the massive military buildup (thanks to U.S. aid) in a country with a struggling economy, and supposedly not in a state of war with any of its neighbors? The questions go on.
In addition, Egypt was the host and facilitator of the recent conference between Palestinian terrorist groups, during which they no doubt mulled over with the groups the most appropriate times and places to strike Israelis. They also provided a mediator for the talks. How?s that for Salaam?
The sheer blatancy of it all! There seems to be no accountability. The time is overdue for the US government to take heed as to how the majority of the annual 2.1 billion in aid to Egypt is spent. It is time to learn lessons from the past, and look at how today?s ?ally? might become another nemesis tomorrow. It is also time for Israel to consider the nature of the future threat it might face from its southern border.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Larry Domnitch is an author and educator who resides in Efrat.