Muslim Brotherhood: We Will Not Put Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty to Referendum
A member of parliament for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party said on Friday that the movement would not put Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel to a national referendum vote.
“We will not put the Camp David accords, or any other agreement Egypt has signed to a national referendum,” said member of parliament Abd Al-Maujood Al-Dardiri.
Al-Dardiri is currently in the U.S. heading a delegation of Egyptian politicians and members of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party. The aim of the trip is to convince the U.S. government, the business community and the public in general, that the U.S. has no reason to fear Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt.
The delegation came to the U.S. on the recommendation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for the presidency, Khairat Al-Shater, who himself began intensifiying contacts with U.S. government officials six months ago. Al-Shater has also been in contact recently with representatives of the World Bank and international financial institutions in order to secure loans and credit that will enable Egypt to restore the massive damage inflicted upon her in the aftermath of the revolution.
The adherence of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Camp David accords has turned into a test of the reliability of the movement when it comes to international relations, and also part of the criterion by which the U.S. will determine the level of aid that the Obama administration will give to Egypt.
To date, Muslim Brotherhood spokespersons and representatives in parliament have emphasized that they are committed to the Camp David Accords, and that now the are shying away from the idea of conducting a national referendum to give legitimacy to altering - or canceling - the agreement.
The Salafi movement, which has nominated its own candidate for president, has also made clear its adherence to the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, and has stated that it is not considering reexamining it now. Calls for taking a second look at the agreements are coming from secular and liberal circles now, as the Accords symbolize, among other things, the legacy of the authoritarian regimes of former Egyptian presidents Sadat and Mubarak.