Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
In a recent TV interview, former Egyptian diplomat Gamal Bayoumi said that when he went to Israel in 1994, he had been welcomed warmly by moderate Israelis, who were “grateful to Egypt for breaking the cycle of hostility, and beginning a period in which Israelis can believe they have a viable future.” The interview aired on Mehwar 2 TV on March 24, 2014.
Following are excerpts
Interviewer: Egypt faces a national danger today, and some believe that it is part of a conspiracy against Egypt. I am talking about the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Some suggest that America, Israel, and Qatar are behind it.
[...]
Gamal Bayoumi: I’d like to ask you a question, which I hope all our viewers will consider, without things getting too heated. Why would anyone want to deny Egypt water? What would Egypt do if its 94 million people were left without water? What benefit would come from all of us dying? How would all these forces benefit from leaving Egypt without water?
[...]
When I went to Israel in December 1994, I was surprised that upon learning that I was Egyptian, they welcomed me warmly. Moderate Israelis are grateful to Egypt for breaking the cycle of hostility, and beginning a period in which Israelis can believe they have a viable future.
[...]
Egypt has fought five wars, and in none did it make any progress on the ground. In these wars, we had over 150,000 martyrs, but nobody asked us how we felt about it. Right?
I tell you, in all honesty, that when Sadat first visited Jerusalem, I felt great sorrow because of my relatives who were martyred and all the Egyptians who sacrificed their lives for the cause. However, with every day that passed since Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem, I realized that he had more vision than any of us.
[...]
Interviewer: So it is in Israel’s interest for Egypt to remain a sovereign and secure country.
Gamal Bayoumi: That’s right. It is also in the interests of the U.S., of Russia, of China, and of every other power in the world. A destabilized Egypt is a loss for the world. A stable and secure Egypt that acts as a positive international force, maintaining security, stability, peace, and prosperity in the world, serves everybody’s best interests
[...]
Latest Clips
