Israel Slams US for Throwing Mubarak “to the Dogs”

Egypt is a major ally for Israel, and the latter is troubled by the challenge Hosni Mubarak faces. Officially, Israel’s government has avoided siding with Mubarak, but newspapers and hardliners blast the Obama administration for not standing behind Egypt’s unpopular president. Critics worry that allowing democracy for Egypt will repeat patterns seen in Lebanon and Palestine – Islamic political groups unfriendly to Israel gaining power. Oddly, one Israeli critic suggests that the US could have done more to encourage a 2009 protest movement in Iran. The critics offer no good advice for soothing huge crowds in Egypt, and instead try to raise international alarm that the US is not to be trusted in managing its alliances. The only immediate recourse implied in these criticisms – however unthinkable it might be – would entail convincing the military to restrain hundreds of thousands of mostly non-violent protesters. The US is weary of military intervention or covert operations in the region, and so far the arguments for impulsive actions fall on deaf ears. – YaleGlobal