Liberman: We hope the Egyptians will continue to work with us

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman responded Monday to sweeping changes instituted by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi a day earlier, saying he hoped Cairo would continue to work constructively with Israel.

On Sunday, Morsi sacked his defense minister and chief of staff, and issued a set of constitutional amendment reforms, in moves widely seen as stripping power from the military.

Speaking at junket where the new Israeli envoy to Norway was announced, Liberman said he hoped Morsi would honor his country’s international agreements, including the peace treaty with Israel.

“I hope there is an understanding in Egypt that peaceful cooperation between the two countries is in the best interests of Egypt as it is in those of Israel,” said Liberman.

His statement was the first official reaction in Jerusalem to Morsi’s shake-up, which some analysts called a ‘soft coup.’

Unofficial sources in Jerusalem reacted to the moves warily, with sources saying the move could damage coordination between Israel’s and Egypt’s militaries.

The extent of the countries cooperation came into focus last week as Egypt and Israel responded to a terror attack in Sinai that left 16 Egyptian policemen dead and was only stopped after a group of terrorists managed to breach Israel’s border.

Liberman told reporters that the two countries’ armed forces needed to continue to cooperate .

“Everything that went on in Sinai, and the dominion of terrorism that emerged there in recent years is a direct damage to the national security of Egypt. It also harms tourism and the economy,” he said.