Peaced out

‏Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1980   stated  "The peace accords with Egypt are dangerous for the Jewish People and who knows what may happen in a year."  And in 1981 "Who could imagine what the situation will be in thirty years from now?"


Both statements came true: Sadat was murdered a year late and Mubarak was overthrown thirty years later.   It is well known that the Lubavitcher Rebbe opposed the peace treaty with Egypt  and warned about the grave consequences to the future security of Israel, and the dangers to the nation that these accords will bring.  At the time the Rebbe′s call was a lone cry in the wilderness opposing the Begin peace festival .


‏Dr. Tzuriel visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 5741 (1981).  During his visit  he wanted to know why the Rebbe was so vehemently opposed to the peace pact with Egypt.  "I argued with the Rebbe why he is so strongly opposed to the peace accords with Egypt, and why he is so worried about the ceding of the oil wells. ‏"How can we trust this pact?" asked the Rebbe.  "Who knows who will rule in Egypt in a year from now, and who could imagine what the situation will be there in thirty years."   ‏One year later, Anwar Sadat was murdered, and Dr. Tzuriel shared the Rebbe′s wondrous words with his friends.    ‏"We are witness, right now, how the second part of the Rebbe′s sentence was so prophetic: "who could imagine what the situation will be there in thirty years!
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Israel expects a "grave erosion" in its peace agreement with Egypt and is even preparing for the possibility of the historic deal collapsing altogether. The comments by Matan Vilnai, the minister for civil, reflected the government's grave concerns that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood could make major gains and even win elections in Egypt that begin next week. Brotherhood leaders have said they do not seek to outright end the 1979 peace accord with Israel. Like many liberal and secular factions, they say they want amendments in the deal, particularly to change provisions that bar the Egyptian military from deploying in the Sinai Peninsula, near the border with Israel. Many in Egypt see that provision as a blow to national pride and as fueling insecurity in the desert territory. Vilnai said he did not expect the peace agreement to unravel immediately since Egypt's post-revolution government will be preoccupied with domestic issues. "But once the regime stabilizes, as we expect it to do, we expect that there will be a grave erosion of this agreement. And we have to prepare for such a situation," Vilnai said. The peace agreement is a cornerstone of Israeli security. Israel's first with an Arab nation, it has kept a once-volatile border quiet for three decades and allowed the military to divert resources to deal with Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Hezbollah guerrillas across Israel's northern border in Lebanon. Israeli security officials say they have been pleased with the Egyptian military's performance in stabilizing the country since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.  Israeli defense officials confirm the Israeli military has already begun preparing for a number of scenarios, including the possibility of the peace agreement being canceled. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a sensitive security issue, and it was not clear whether the preparations are limited to discussions or include actual drills or troop deployments. The army declined comment on any preparations it may be making. But it denied a report that Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, raised the possibility of peace collapsing.