President Shimon Peres
Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO
Visiting IDF troops in north
Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO
Peres celebrates Passover
Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO
Peres: No bikinis - no tourism in Egypt
President predicts 'no external source can save Egypt' adding Israel should not intervene or gloat in wake of Cairo's situation
"If the Egyptians ban bikinis, they won't have tourism," said President Shimon Peres
on Wednesday following the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power and the nomination of Khairat el-Shater as a presidential candidate in Egypt's
elections.
"We offered the Arabs help but they declined, on their own account not ours," Peres added during a joint military tour with IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz in the Golan Heights.
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Peres predicted that "no external source can save Egypt, it will only be saved from within. The youth will return to the squares, this time with a plan."
President Peres visits troops (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
He added, "The Egyptian army is protecting itself… We mustn't intervene, degrade or rejoice over what will happen there. We have a good relationship with them and it must be preserved."
During the tour, Peres met with IDF troops and introduced himself as "the responsible adult." Peres went on to praise Gantz for his "integrity and courage."
Peres visits Golan Heights (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
"Even if Israel faces existential problems, it also has existential abilities based on the IDF. We'll overcome all threats and come out on top. There is no need to get hysterical, we've gone through some tough things before. I trust the General Staff and its leader, his stately, serious and elaborate appraoch," Peres stated.
He added, "We have to provide the IDF with the necessary budget so it doesn't lack ammunition when the time comes. The public's trust in the army today is at an all time high."
As for the situation in Syria, Peres remarked: "Assad is more brutal than is father and less smart than him. He is hopeless because he spilled more of his people's blood than his father. He's uniting the world against him."
The president believes that "Assad's fall will be the final blow to Hezbollah. We've avoided attacking strategic targets in Lebanon up until now, but if missiles soar over our heads we'll know how to respond."
"Whatever happens in Syria will affect Israel's defense array. We have military power but we also need to develop political intelligence. We must make peace with the Palestinians so the conflict won't serve the extremists' cause," Peres concluded.
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