The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has again put the focus on the risks, in his view, that the possible entry of Arab parties into the current Government coalition would entail for the country’s security, at a time when Egypt has concluded the procedure to declare the Muslim Brotherhood illegal.
"Egypt has completed the process to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, while here work is being carried out to bring them into the Government. I warn of the serious consequences that this measure would have for Israel’s security," he said in a statement released by his department.
Katz emphasized that the United States and various Arab states have shown their support for the decision made by Cairo. At the same time, he has lashed out at domestic proposals that seek to integrate, into the Israeli executive, even after the October 7 attacks, a formation that he considers ideologically akin to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamás).
In this context, he also reproached the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas, for continuing not to recognize said movement as a terrorist organization, despite the regional situation and recent offensives.
According to the minister, the Muslim Brotherhood cooperates with Hamás and with its structure in Turkey in order to try to trigger an uprising against the Egyptian president, Abdelfatá al Sisi, and he warned that those who seek to overthrow him would also represent a direct threat to Israel if they were given the opportunity.
"Those who are willing to overthrow the president of the largest and most powerful Arab country in the name of an extremist Islamic ideology will not hesitate to massacre the Jewish State if they have the opportunity to do so," he predicted.
For this reason, Katz has called for articulating a "broad national consensus" that would involve "not cooperating in any way with Islamist and nationalist Arab parties that maintain ties with Israel’s enemies and act to destroy it".