Mubarak with Obama (archives)
Photo: AP
Report: Mubarak opposes US defense umbrella
Al-Gumhoria newspaper says Egyptian president strongly objects to American proposal to Israel, Arab states to create nuclear umbrella against Iranian attack
The United States has offered Israel,
Egypt
and Persian Gulf countries to be part of a nuclear umbrella against an Iranian attack, Egyptian newspaper al-Gumhoria reported Thursday.
According to the report, US President Barack Obama us under increasing pressure by Congress members, members of the Jewish lobby, Jewish organizations and the media, after his Cairo speech which was perceived as pro-Arab and anti-Israel.
In its editorial, the newspaper slammed the idea of a "suspicion umbrella", defining it as "a bribe to Israel for indirect normalization purposes."
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Due to this growing pressure, the editorial stated, White House advisors and several pro-Israel Congress members suggested "offering a bribe or compensation to Israel so that it approaches the conditions of peace in a more convenient manner. That bribe was the American umbrella of defense against Iran in order to protect the Gulf states."
The newspaper's editor wrote that some of the American administration's "shrewd" advisors said that including the Gulf states together with the US and Israel would serve as indirect normalization between countries ruling this out, like Saudi Arabia.
'Satanic plan'
According to the idea, Israeli and American aircraft would be deployed in those Arab countries in preparation of a response against any expected Iranian strike. Everyone knows, the editor wrote, that those bases would be used to launch a war on Iran if the American diplomatic dialogue with Tehran were to fail."The deceptive thought was that Israel would in actual fact defend the Gulf states against the danger they are saying is approaching. We cannot rule out a possibility that they would even present the Gulf rulers with satellite images showing that an Iranian attack against the region is imminent. And this will lead to a war Israel has been planning for some time, with Israel turning later on into the only nuclear regional force in the Middle East, which will be a huge gain as far as they are concerned," the editorial said.
"The American defense umbrella which Israel will be part of is aimed at allowing Israel to enjoy the Gulf countries' trust and be part of the defense lineup over the economic wealth of oil-producing countries. This is indirect normalization and a concealed bribe to Israel."
According to the editor, "The only one to reveal this satanic plan was President Hosni Mubarak, who was very firm in his response. He stressed that Egypt does not support free normalization with Israel, regardless of its reasons."
According to the editorial, Cairo is against taking part in the defense ally, even if Israel is not part of it.
Several days ago, the newspaper's editor wrote, more than 200 Republican and Democratic Congress member send a letter to Saudi King Abdullah, expressing their disappointment over his failure to accept President Obama's call to make steps of normalization towards Israel.
