Cairo – A subsidiary of Israel’s national airline has whisked dozens of Israelis, including families of Israeli diplomats, out of Egypt on board an emergency flight to escape the chaos engulfing the Arab country.
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An Israeli official said Saturday’s flight, which was dispatched by the Foreign Ministry, carried about 40 Israeli citizens who were in Cairo on private business and wanted to return to Israel. Spouses and children of Israeli diplomats in Egypt were also on the flight.
The official said Israeli diplomats would remain in Egypt for the time being. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
The flight was provided by Sun D’Or International Airlines, a subsidiary of El Al, Israel’s national airline.
A Cairo airport official confirmed that El Al arranged the special flight. El Al does not usually fly on the Jewish Sabbath to appease observant Jewish passengers who do not travel on the day of rest.
El Al refused to comment.
The flight reflects Israel’s concerns over the situation in Egypt — the first Arab country to reach peace with Israel.
The Israeli prime minister ordered government spokesmen to keep silent. Officials speaking anonymously nonetheless expressed concern that the violence could threaten ties with Egypt and spread to the Palestinian Authority.
The Egyptian unrest has dominated Israeli media. Israeli TV news channels provided hourly updates. Israel Radio reported extensively on developments and dubbed its broadcasts “Fire on the Nile.”
Writing Saturday in the Haaretz daily, columnist Aluf Benn speculated that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s “fading power” leaves Israel with few friends in the Middle East.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday called Mubarak, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Abbas told the Egyptian leader that he is eager to see Egypt stable and secure, the agency said.
If Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood — the main opposition group — gains power in the turmoil, the balance of power between the rival Palestinian camps could change. Abbas is backed by the West, while his Islamic militant Hamas rivals draw their support from Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. Hamas is the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Two Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered all government spokesmen not to comment on the mass riots in Egypt, where protesters are demanding that Mubarak resign after nearly 30 years in power. Both officials were speaking on condition of anonymity.
The spokesmen have likely been silenced out of fears that any perceived Israeli involvement could further compromise an ally whose ouster would pose a serious threat to Israel.
The officials said Egypt’s ties with Israel could be damaged if the country’s popular opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, makes gains.
Egypt was the first Arab country to reach peace with Israel more than 30 years ago. Mubarak, then vice president, came to power after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by Islamic militants enraged over the peace treaty with Israel.
Ties have never been warm, but Egypt has played a critical role as Mideast peace mediator between Israel and the Palestinians.
“A stable Egypt with a peace treaty with Israel means a quiet border,” one official told The Associated Press. “If there is a regime change Israel will have to reassess its strategy to protect its border from one of the most modern militaries in the region.”
The Israeli security officials also said they were worried that violence might spread to Gaza, the West Bank, and possibly to its other ally in the Arab world, Jordan.
Eli Shaked, a former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt, speculated in an interview with Channel 10 TV that if Mubarak’s reign is destabilized, radical Egyptian Islamists could fill the void.
“It’s good that Israel is keeping quiet, but there is no doubt that what is happening in Egypt is not good for Israeli interests,” Shaked said. “It will only be a matter of time before a leader of the revolution arises and he will come from the Muslim Brotherhood.”