On April 13, 2011 – Dr. Robert Satloff, executive director Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) gave his testimony to the Congressional Subcommittee in which he called for Obama administration to block the Islamist and semi-Islamist groups (Muslim Brotherhood, Gamaa Islamiya, Al-Jihad, Wasat Party and US-Saudi funded sectarian Salafist movement).
Robert Satloff told the ‘Israel-First’ US lawmakers that if some of these groups win parliamentary seats in the coming September 2011 election – they will shift future Egyptian foreign policy away from US and Israel. This may not effect much to the American interests in the Middle East – but Israel could lose its gas supply from Egypt which is subsidized by Cairo and has cost US$80 billion to Egyptian taxpayers so far. Israel’s other fears include Cairo’s opening of border with Gaza, stop policing of Sinai, developing friendly relations with Iran. Hizbullah and Hamas, opening of Suez Canal for Iranian military and commercial shipping and putting some additional demands to keep the current Israel-Egypt peace treaty.
WINEP is a Zionist Hasbara (propaganda) think tank of Israel Lobby (AIPAC). It’s also closely associated with Tel Aviv University’s Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, and was long headed by General Aharon Yariv, who had previously served as both an Israeli government minister and as head of Israeli intelligence. WINEP’s membership includes pro-Israeli American Jews, including Satloff. Dr. Satloff held a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabli al-Arabi on April 5. Al-Arabi was appointed by the pro-US military junta in early March 2011.
Dr. Gamal Abdel Gawad, an expert on international relations at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, ruled out the possibility that Egypt will be similar to the Iranian model of governance, saying: “Egypt is like Turkey in terms of its relations with the US and the Zionist entity”. He also added that America will not find it difficult to cope with the Freedom and Justice party, representatives of the MB, or any other Islamic forces in parliament or in government, in light of what the MB are submitting, which seeks national economic political and social harmony.
Uprooted Palestinian
