Meridor: A good neighbor doesn't send weapons to the enemy

Deputy PM hits back at Egypt's plan to open border crossing with Gaza; Egyptian official to Israel: Don't meddle in our internal affairs.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Dan Meridor Ramallah Quarry 311 (photo credit: The Israel Project)
Dan Meridor Ramallah Quarry 311
(photo credit: The Israel Project)
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, who is in charge of intelligence and atomic affairs, hit back at Egyptian Chief of Staff General Sami Anan who warned Israel not to interfere in Egypt's internal affairs. Meridor said  in response to Egypt's decision to open the border with Gaza in Rafah that "a good neighbor does not send weapons to his friend's enemy," Channel 2 News reported Saturday.
He implied that it is important to have good relations with surrounding countries.
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However, Meridor estimated that the ousting of President Mubarak is not expected to damage relations between the Israel and Egypt. "I do not believe Egypt will break the peace treaty," he said, adding that Israel keeps track of events in Cairo.
The Egyptian military chief on Friday warned Israel not to interfere in Egypt's internal affairs.
Anan wrote on his Facebook page that "Israel has no right to interfere in the issue of the opening of the Rafah crossing. This is an Egyptian-Palestinian matter."
In an interview with Al Jazeera Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby said the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will open on a permanent basis within seven to ten days.
He said steps would be taken in order to alleviate the "suffering of the Palestinian people."
The opening of the crossing would allow greater freedom of movement for people on both sides of the border, as well as goods in and out of Gaza without Israeli permission.