Benayahu says army conducting daily consultations on the continued unrest in Egypt.
By YAAKOV KATZegyptian border 311(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Amid concern that international criticism of Cairo, the IDF stressed on Thursday that it had complete faith in the Egyptian military’s ability to stabilize the situation to Israel’s south, IDF Spokesman Brig.- Gen. Avi Benayahu said.Since the demonstrations picked up speed last weekend, the army and Defense Ministry have held daily intelligence briefings and security consultations to assess the situation in Egypt.The IDF’s Planning Directorate’s liaison department is in daily contact with its Egyptian counterparts and was instrumental in recommending that the government approve Egypt’s request to deploy forces in Sinai even though it violates the restrictions in the 1979 peace treaty.Benayahu confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the army was conducting daily intelligence and security assessments.Click here for full Jpost coverage of unrest in Egypt“Even if sometimes cold, peace with Egypt is a strategic asset for Israel and the IDF, and in my opinion it is also an asset for Egypt, its army and people,” Benayahu said in his first official comments on the unrest. “Egypt is not an enemy and we cannot let it become one. It is a big and important country that is in a state of peace with Israel, and we need to do everything to retain the peace.”Benayahu said that the IDF was impressed by the Egyptian army’s efforts to stabilize the situation.“We understand that the Egyptian military is acting responsibly in trying to stabilize the situation in Egypt in a responsible and professional way,” he said.
