CAIRO: Egypt must keep its commitment to the Camp David peach agreement with Israel because of its security needs and economic problems, both of which are met with American aid, said Danny Yatom, the former head of Israel's infamous Mossad intelligence agency and former Israeli army chief of staff. Yatom described current relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv as “very cold.” Yatom's statement came during a political conference in Centre of Strategic Dialogue at Netanya Academy on the future of Israeli relations with Egypt and other Arab states after the revolutions taking place in the Arab world. Yatom expressed appreciation for the ongoing peaceful relations between Egypt and Israel after the Egyptian Revolution which overthrew the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak. The recent crises led to the deterioration of the Egyptian economy to the extent that Egypt must depend on foreign aid and loans for its revival, said Yatom. He added that all these matters drive Cairo to adhere to the peace agreement with Israel. Yatom implicated indirectly that Egypt cannot at this time afford to break the treaty with Israel and lose American financial aid, which amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars each year. As for the future of the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel after the Egyptian Revolution, Yatom predicted it will remain “very cold” as a result of many Egyptians' refusal of Israeli practices in the region. He said Egyptians have urged the government to cancel the peace treaty because Egypt is no longer bound by it. Israel is stupid in dealing with its neighbors and other Arab stats when it comes to political affairs, said Yatom, referring to the hostility between Israel and Turkey over the Freedom Flotilla to the Gaza Strip. In case of Israel insists on halting peace negotiations with the Palestinian, who seek international recognition of their state, the region could witness war, he added.
