Israel committed to peace treaty with Egypt: Netanyahu

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Egyptians that his country was committed to its 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, and urged any new Cairo leadership to uphold it as well.

“Every single Egyptian should know that the people of Israel are committed to the peace,” he told a conference for Jewish-American leaders in Jerusalem Wednesday.

“Israel wants Egypt to succeed in its quest for genuine and lasting democracy,” he said, but reiterated warnings of a worst-case scenario in which a non-democratic, Islamist militant government would replace ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

A democratic Egypt would be good for peace, Netanyahu said.

“As prime minister of Israel, I am responsible for the security of over 7 million Israelis who live in the one and only Jewish state. I cannot simply hope for the best. I must also prepare for the worst,” he said.

“Part of that preparation is to alert the leaders and policy makers of the world to the possible dangers that lay ahead.”