Israel must keep mum on Egypt elections, says top defense official

As Egyptians went to the polls for the second day of runoff presidential elections Sunday, the Defense Ministry’s director of policy and political-military affairs Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad (res.) said any mention by Israel of a preference for either of the candidates could lead to “irrevocable damage.”

“Israel must not intervene in any way in the Egyptian elections, not openly and not secretly. We must respect the political process. Even making a comment or voicing a position could impact on the way people vote,” said Gilad.

In the contest between the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and former Mubarak prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, Gilad said Israel’s only interest was maintaining the peace treaty with its southern neighbor.

Addressing the Saturday firing of rockets into Israel from Gaza, Gilad dismissed suggestions that the Muslim Brotherhood was behind the attack, saying striking Israel was not on the group’s list of priorities and that it was busy trying to win elections and “reshaping the Middle East.”