“The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest Islamist group, is poised to win the largest share of the vote in parliamentary elections,” the Daily Beast writes, “the man who appears to have a clear shot at the presidency, Amr Moussa, has made his name criticizing Israel; and a large majority of respondents favor amending or revoking the cornerstone of regional stability, the Camp David Accords.”
According to the poll of just over 1,000 respondents, the Muslim Brotherhood’s “Freedom and Justice Party” garnered the most support at 17 percent. The same support ringed true for Moussa:
On paper, the Newsweek/Daily Beast survey found a close race: Former Arab League chief Amr Moussa leads the pack with the support of 16 percent of likely voters, former diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik follow with 12 percent each, and a smattering of others trail in single digits. But Moussa clearly has wider appeal: When we surveyed likely voters with just the three front-runners, the former foreign minister, who talks tough on Israel, garners 47 percent, with “Undecided” running even with the remaining two. [Emphasis added]
So what did these Egyptians think about Israel? The poll says most want to change the staple peace agreement in the region, the Camp David Accords:
The antipathy to their neighbor the north was palpable. Only 3 percent of those surveyed had a positive impression of Israel, only 2 percent said Israel cares about Egypt’s interests and a mere 1 percent said Israel had responded to the recent revolution in a positive way. This has repercussions on the linchpin of regional stability, the Camp David Accords: 70 percent want to amend or cancel them, while only 17 percent want to keep them as is. [Emphasis added]
Who do they like instead? How about Turkey, which has embraced Islamic law.
“Among regional powers, it was viewed as having demonstrated the most support for the revolution, as well as the most concern about Egypt’s interests and the most positive effect on the world,” the article says.
It‘s no wonder that the Daily Beast opens it’s piece with this conclusion: “the political climate in Egypt is moving in a new direction that is inimical to American and allied interests—notwithstanding the billions of dollars in aid that the United States continues to provide.”
That, it says plainly, spells “trouble for the West.”
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