Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on September 15 said that Egypt’s peace deal with Israel is not sacred. He was speaking during an interview with a Turkish television channel. “The Camp David agreement is not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and the case of fair peace … and we could make a change if needed,” he said in the interview. Ties between Egypt and Israel took a blow last week after protesters ransacked the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, forcing the evacuation of staff and the departure of the ambassador.
It was the latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the killing of six Egyptian policemen on their common border as Israel hunted gunmen after a deadly attack last month. Ties between Egypt and Israel, which have been bound by a peace treaty since 1979, have entered a period of turbulence since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak by a popular uprising in February. Activists behind Mubarak’s fall have urged a revision of the treaty and the call echoed by the powerful Muslim Brotherhood after the embassy attack.