Movement that Toppled Morsi Targets Peace Deal with Israel

Tamarod, the Egyptian movement which led the opposition to Morsi, is now calling to cancel the peace treaty with Israel.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 8/18/2013, 5:59 AM

Supporters and opponents of Morsi clash in Alexandria

AFP photo

Tamarod, the Egyptian movement which led the opposition to ousted President Mohammed Morsi, apparently now has a new target: the peace treaty with Israel.
Egyptian media reported on Saturday that Tamarod, which amassed 22 signatures to a petition demanding Morsi’s departure before the army ousted him in July, is now collecting signatures to a new initiative calling to cancel the peace treaty signed between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1979.
Tamarod’s latest initiative, according to the reports, comes in the wake of what they called the “unacceptable U.S. interference in Egypt’s political affairs.” The members of the group are demanding that the Israel-Egypt treaty be put to a referendum.
The opposition movement is arguing that the agreements with Israel prevent Egypt from deploying large-scale military forces to the Sinai Peninsula which has been rampant with terrorists.


Egypt's army is currently engaged in an offensive in Sinai to curtail a surge in violence since Morsi was ousted on July 3.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Israel and Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi have been in close contact throughout the latest crisis in Egypt.
Diplomats told the New York Times that Israel assured Egypt it did not have to worry about the U.S. threat to cut its enormous aid package to that country.
In response to the violence in Egypt this past week, U.S. President Barack Obama said that the United States "deplores" and "strongly condemns" violence in Egypt, and as a result is canceling U.S.-Egyptian military exercises scheduled for next month.
He said the United States believes the Egyptian government's "state of emergency should be lifted" and a process of reconciliation must begin.
At the same time, Obama did not suspend other forms of aid to Egypt and said that U.S. "engagement" with the military government in Cairo will help Egypt make the transition back to democracy.