Israel’s preference for Arab oppression

    The drastic changes in Egypt, and the unrest throughout the region, have left Israel with a new sense of strategic vulnerability. Though the Egyptian military says that Cairo will respect existing international treaties, alarm in Israel over the fate of the 1978 Camp David accords is evident. Israel has not been in a rush to forge new peace agreements since its 1994 treaty with Jordan, believing the continuation of the status quo to be tolerable. Now, however, Cairo’s uncertain political direction has Israelis questioning their external security. These feelings were evident at the prestigious Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya Conference in early February. IDC, established in 1994 as Israel’s first private university, has for the past 11years hosted this annual policy gathering, which brings together Israeli and international politicians, policymakers and analysts to discuss regional security challenges. The tone for this year’s event was set by Knesset Foreign Affairs