Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has asked Israel to be “brave” by choosing peace, stability and security over the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories but warned that delayed action and manoeuvring could result in dire consequences for all parties.
In an interview to the Armed Forces magazine on the eve of the 36th anniversary of October 6, 1973 war, Mr. Mubarak called on Israel to halt settlement expansion activities completely and achieve tangible progress in the peace process.
“Israel should be brave and make its pick, by either choosing peace, stability and security or the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories,” Mr. Mubarak said, adding that “security is created by peace and not by force.”
“Procrastinations and manoeuvring are not in the interest of anyone and could result in dire consequences for all parties,” he warned.
Mr. Mubarak said the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal can serve as a model on which other Arab-Israeli peace agreements can be based.
“It is not in the interest of Israel to lose this historic opportunity to achieve peace and put an end to the six-decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict,” Mr. Mubarak asserted.
“If Israel opted for the path of peace, this will contribute to encouraging Arabs to trust its intentions, meet all what the Arab Peace Initiative calls for and eventually, fulfil the ultimate aim of all the peace efforts we are undertaking,” he said.
