The Israeli government is pressing its efforts to convince the United States and the European Union to support the military-backed government in Egypt.
The New York Times reported on Aug. 18 that Israeli ambassadors in Washington and the European capitals will lobby foreign ministers, and that Israeli leaders will urge diplomats to back the Israeli position that the Egyptian military is the best solution to Cairo’s disarray.
The newspaper cited an unnamed “senior Israeli official involved in the effort.”
“At this point it’s army or anarchy,” the official told the Times.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered government officials to refrain from publicly discussing the situation in Egypt.
Israel reportedly has been lobbying American officials hard to sustain the annual $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to Egypt. President Barack Obama has threatened to withhold the aid over a violent government crackdown on demonstrations in support of the ousted president, Mohammed Morsi, that has resulted in more than 800 deaths since last week.
Last week, Obama canceled a planned joint military exercise with Egypt over the bloodshed. — jta