Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00183)

Egyptian diplomats and government-aligned analysts said President 
Hosni Mubarak has told Washington it will not tolerate the Israeli 
destruction of the regime of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. The diplomats 
said Mubarak has repeatedly pledged to Arafat that the Egyptian 
president would preserve the PA. 

Mubarak spoke by telephone with Bush last Thursday and called for an 
end to the Israeli military campaign. Earlier, Mubarak warned in an 
interview with the Beirut-based A-Safir that Israel would be the main 
victim of any regional conflict. 

At the same time, Egypt's defense chiefs said "The recent 
developments require the Egyptian armed forces to preserve a high 
level of preparedness and readiness to confront any challenge and 
threat," Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi said. 

It seems Egypt and Jordan will send their armies into Palestinian-
ruled areas to take the place of a collapsed Arafat regime or a 
Palestinian Authority stripped of powers. The Jordanian army, 
including its intelligence arm, would re-locate itself in the West 
Bank instead of the Palestinian security and intelligence services, 
while the Egyptian military would re-occupy the Gaza Strip.


Brigitte