EgyptWest Asia

Egypt’s New Leader Stresses Necessity for Revising Camp David Accord

Egypt’s first democratically-elected President Mohammed Mursi underlined the importance of materializing the rights of the Palestinian people, and stressed the necessity for revising the Camp David Accord with Israel.

“Our policy towards Israel will be a policy based on equality since we are not weaker than them in any field and we will discuss the issue of the Palestinians’ rights with the related sides since this is highly important,” Mursi told FNA on Sunday, hours before the official announcement of presidential election results.

“We will revise the Camp David treaty,” he said, adding that all of these issues should be implemented by governmental bodies and the cabinet “since I will take no decision by myself”.

Asked about the Constitution Amendment which merely permits the military council to take decisions about how to respond to enemy’s military attack against Egypt and the media reports that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has given necessary guarantees to Israel on the issue, he said, “If you mean an attack at present, I believe that it is unlikely anyway.”

“The media are trying to exaggerate the issue which is aimed at daunting people of my presidency but declaring war is not the product of a decision of one single person anyway and the Majlis al-Sha’b should agree with it; at present the military council’s agreement for the decision of war is necessary and there is no problem in it since they are aware of the Army’s situation better (than others),” Mursi said.

“Of course, this doesn’t mean that I agree with the Constitution Amendment but anyway I don’t take decisions by myself and I have stressed many times that I have no difference with the Egyptian Army since the Army defends the nation’s soil and I don’t like to speak about the guarantees that the SCAF has given to Israel since we do not suspect anybody’s patriotism and I believe that despite its mistakes, the SCAF has not announced a bid for our homeland,” Mursi concluded.

Many Egyptian leaders believe that the Camp David Accord has damaged Egypt’s honor and dignity, and called for its revision.

Earlier, former Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian territories Gamal Mazloum had also told FNA that Egypt should take action to boost its forces in the Sinai Desert and make a formal request to correct and modify the Camp David Accord.

Since the Zionist regime has several times breached the Camp David Accord, Egypt should use its power and increase its military presence in the Sinai Desert if the Israeli regime rejects a willing modification of Camp David, he said in October.

Also in September, a leading Egyptian political activist had underlined the necessity of revisions in the Camp David Accord between Cairo and Tel Aviv, stressing that the deal is no more valid.

“Camp David has been annulled and has no more credit and value,” member of Egypt’s National Association for Change George Ishaq told FNA in Cairo at the time.

“Since the Zionist regime attaches no respect to the accord and in order to reclaim Egypt’s sovereignty over the Sinai region…the agreement should be reviewed and revised,” underlined Ishaq, a former coordinator of Kefaya Movement, a political movement opposing Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

Yet, the position of the Egyptian people is much stronger than their politicians as they urge an immediate cut of all ties with the Israeli regime and their country’s full sovereignty over the Sinai desert.

In October, Egyptian youths stormed the Israeli embassy and destroyed a part of a barricade wall around the building, forcing the Israeli ambassador to flee Cairo.

Although Mursi resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood to take the top job, Israel is wary of his election, fearing his Islamist record could jeopardize the three-decade Camp David Accord with its huge neighbor.

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