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| A protester takes part in a demonstration against Mubarak in Alexandria yesterday |
In a speech to Parliament, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s concerns that any regime that followed that of President Hosni Mubarak may follow a radical Islamist line, though Israel stood by protesters’ calls for democratic reform.
Netanyahu cautioned that the uprising in Egypt could destabilise the region “for many years.”
He said there would be a battle in Egypt between those who favoured democracy and those who wanted to enforce an Iranian-style radical Islamist system.
“There are two worlds, two halves, two views—that of the free world and that of the radical world.” Netanayhu said. “Which one will prevail in Egypt? The answer is crucial to the future of Egypt, the future of the region and for us here in Israel.”
The Israeli premier, one of the few international leaders to back Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said he was sure that if the forces of the free world prevailed in Egypt, they would also uphold the peace with Israel.
“But my friends we are not there yet,” Netanyahu said.
“It is possible that there will not be a resolution between these forces for a long time, there will be instability and uncertainty that continues for many years.”
“The basis of our stability, our future and for maintaining peace or widening it, particularly in unstable times, this basis lies in bolstering Israel’s might,” he added, in his toughest response yet to the week of protests in Egypt.
The remark appeared to suggest Israel may need to expand its armed forces if a 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, Israel’s first with an Arab nation, failed to survive the unrest or seemed less durable than in the past.
The peace with Egypt created a peaceful border with a nation that was once Israel’s largest Arab foe. Netanyahu said he hoped world leaders would ensure that Egypt stuck by that deal.
The treaty with Egypt has enabled Israel to scale back military expenditure considerably. Security expenditure is currently about 9% of GDP, down from 30% in the years just before the treaty with Egypt was signed.
Dan Schueftan, a strategic expert at the University of Haifa, said in an interview that the uncertainty in Cairo, which could last for months, meant Israel might need to build “a much stronger army and increase the defence budget in a major way.”
Netanyahu had on Monday raised the spectre of an Iranian-style regime led by Islamic extremists arising out of the chaos sweeping through Egypt.
But he has come under fire for failing to support the pro-democracy protests in Egypt.
Netanyahu’s speech appeared to be an attempt to deflect some of the criticism, telling parliament that “an Egypt that adopts democratic reforms is a source of hope to the world and to us.”
But he also urged his critics to “be realistic and see the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be.”
Cairo, under Mubarak, has played a key role in mediating between Israel and the rest of the Arab world and the Palestinians in particular.
Netanyahu has held frequent meetings with Mubarak since coming to office in 2009, more than any other world leader.
Turning to Israel’s Palestinian neighbours, Netanyahu urged President Mahmoud Abbas to seize what he saw as an opportunity created by the unrest in Egypt, to renew stalled peace talks.